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[darkelf9]

Part 2 of things to do in Melbourne for people coming from outside Victoria or outside Australia. Didn't get this stuff of social media. It comes from being a resident of Melbourne for many decades.

Depending on how much time you have in Melbourne will depend on what is possible to see and do. You won't be able to see everything even in the CBD on your first visit so don't try. If you are only in Melbourne for a couple of days because you thought Sydney was the main attraction in Australia, then you didn't plan well. People coming from OS are still surprised on how big Melbourne is and that it even exists and you get the classic "nobody told me" surprised expression. Again it means people didn't do their research before leaving home. So in an effort to correct that I've decided to post some stuff you can do and might not be aware of when coming to Melbourne regardless of whether you want to hire a car or not when visiting.

Free stuff to see in the CBD and Inner City suburbs(the main places):

State Library - located north on Swanston St. - can take the free tram up Swanston St or walk it. If you want a quiet cool place to get out of the heat in Summer the State Library is a good option. Entry is free and you can either get a book and relax in the library part or go for a wander to the upper flaws and look at the historical books on display. Food and drink is not allowed so you will be stopped if you try to bring that in. It is one of the old buildings that we have retained in Melbourne. You will see a lot period buildings in Melbourne and in the inner suburbs. There is care taken to retain this older architecture if possible. Plus we have lots of tall modern skycrapers as well, like any big city.

Town Hall - the town hall is in Swanston St. It's yet another old building we have retained in Melbourne. Can go to a show there and get info about Melbourne. The main tourist info is at Federation Square just opposite Flinders St station. You can't miss it.

NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) - located just south of the Yarra River and an easy walk from Flinders St station. It has a glass water wall as you enter. As kids we used to hold our hands on the glass wall and get splashed. Can get very busy during the Summer months, but worth a visit to engage your cultured side.

Shrine of Remembrance - located south on St. Kilda Road south of the CBD. You can see it from the NGV. It is past the free tram zone which ends at Flinders St Station so you need to tap on using your Myki to get there by tram. No need to tap off in the inner city zone, known as Zone 1. Can walk it if you want. You will pass the Victoria Barracks which is an Army run military base. Can't miss it with it's blue stone wall. Can explore the front of it with the two cannons out the front. Nobody will stop you, but you are being watched. It's about the closest you are going to get to a military base. The Shrine as we call it has two entrances. You can either walk up the steps or use the side entrance at ground level. The Shrine was funded by the people of Melbourne to commemorate the loss of life in WWI. Since then it also serves as a place of remembrance for all wars Australia has been involved with. You can get a great view of Melbourne from the top balcony which looks back to the CBD. Even if you are not into military stuff, the Shrine is worth a visit especially for kids to know the history.

Royal Botanic Gardens - located just next to the Shrine, the botanic gardens are a good place just to relax after being a tourist all day. As you go deeper into the gardens you will feel like the city doesn't exist. Melbourne city itself is surrounded with gardens so if gardens are your thing there are lots to choose from depending on which part of the city you are in on any given day, but the botanic gardens are the largest in Melbourne.

Melbourne Museum - this is what we refer to the new Melbourne Museum the old museum was getting too small to hold all the exhibits and it was relocated to the suburb of Carlton. You can walk it but I would suggest you take the tram for which you will need your Myki to tap on. Carlton is in Zone 1 so no need to tap off. After you are done exploring the museum, take a walk back to the CBD thru the Carlton Gardens and you will see the Exhibition Buildings which is still used for large exhibitions. The fountain out the front is a classic photo op.

The Queen Victoria Market is obviously free. I would suggest you take the tram up Elizabeth street. You can use the free tram to get you most of the way, but if you have a Myki use it. Best not go there on a Wednesday. Best time to go there is either the weekend or later in the week. It is the largest market we have in Melbourne and has all sorts of fresh food stalls, retail, and of course coffee shops and places to eat. Seen lots of Youtubers going there each trying to give their original take on the market but in reality all their videos are the same. Again if you really want to know about the Queen Victoria Market ask a local.

Hosier Lane is another iconic Youtube moment apparently. I mean everyone in Melbourne knows about it and it has been around forever so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It was a forgotten part of Melbourne so the local council thought it would be an idea to encourage street artists to use it in a bit to revitalize it. Lots of street art in that part of Melbourne. It's and easy walk from Flinders St station but just be aware it doesn't smell the best. It is not one of the lane ways used much by locals. The lane ways between Flinders St Station and Bourke St are better if you want to do some shopping or grab a bite to eat. The only issue is you might stop a lot to sample the local cafes in that part of the CBD. You certainly won't go hungry.

St. Kilda craft market - if you are in Melbourne on a Sunday, the market on the St. Kilda esplanade is a good option. Most of the stall holders are artists selling their own goods. Just catch the tram down there from the CBD. It's too far to walk from the CBD. St. Kilda is a suburb of Melbourne. I won't get into the technicalities of it actually being St. Kilda West now, we still just call it St. Kilda. The market on the esplanade gets very busy so if you are going to drive, get there early as car parks get full quickly and you have to pay and they are not cheap either. After walking up and down the market stalls, take a trip down Acland Street for some cake and coffee. Some of the oldest cake shops in Melbourne are in Acland St and you are spoilt for choice. You can get cakes any day of the week on Acland Street and the cake shops are open till late. There are also interesting restaurants in Acland Street as well. There are lots of backpacker accommodation options in St. Kilda so it is a favourite spot for backpackers.

Williamstown - is just on the other side of the bay and is a quaint suburb of Melbourne. Still has it's old architecture and has become a foodie place as well. It was established as a Naval base and the Navy still has a presence there although much diminished these days. The Navy used to build Frigates there but has been removed as a manufacturing base. These days Williamstown is a weekend lunch spot. It was a working class suburb but like lots of other inner city suburbs, house prices are now middle class prices. There are three basic ways to get there. Either drive across the Westgate Bridge, take the train to Williamstown using your Myki card or you can take the ferry across the bay from Port Melbourne which is a bayside suburb close to the CBD. The ferry can be an issue on high wind and choppy days, so if you aren't good in small boats, I'd take the train or drive across. If you drive across the Westgate make sure to stay on the left lanes. The exit to Williamstown is the first left exit. You can't change lanes on the bridge for safety reasons. I've seen people do dumb shit on the bridge putting other drivers in danger because they wanted to change lanes mid way over the bridge. It is also heavily monitored so if you do the wrong thing your car will get pinged by the cameras on the bridge. If you miss the exit, well you're on your way to Geelong and nobody wants to go to Geelong unless you live there. People only go to Geelong to get to the Great Ocean Road or Warrnambool.

Churches: Even if you aren't the religious type the churches in the CBD are worth a look for their architecture alone. As mentioned previously Melbourne has all types of religious options. In the CBD are there are some nice old churches you can check out. St Paul's Cathedral on Flinders St just opposite Federation Square is of the largest churches we have in Melbourne. It's open all days of the week and you can attend a service if you want to. Don't even need to be from that religion. A church that is overlooked is the Scot's Church near the top of Collins St. It dates all the way back to 1874. What makes this church unique are the flags that line the walls. There other churches just outside the CBD of different denominations but these two are within the CBD and easy to get to. Again use the free tram up Collins St as it is a steep walk up that way. Go up to the top of Collins St and you'll run into a chocolate shop.

That's it for the main free stuff in Melbourne. Next post will things that cost money to experience outside the CBD.

 

[darkelf9]

Part 3 of stuff to do when visiting Melbourne. There are easy day trips from Melbourne's CBD you can do via a booked bus tour if you don't have a car. Only listed a few below.

Beaches - There are two main beaches within easy reach of the CBD. These being South Melbourne Beach and St. Kilda Beach. You can get trams to both these beaches from the CBD. If you are visiting South Melbourne Market, which is a fresh food market, the beach is not far away. It is the end stop for the tram so you can't get lost. Just get off the tram and walk across the road to the beach. St. Kilda beach is just on the other side of the road to the esplanade where the tram stops. You can see the beach from the tram, but will need to walk down the hill and cross the road to get to it. There is also Luna Park amusement park just as you get off the tram. You can't miss it. It has the oldest wooden rollercoaster that has been continuously operating in the world. It was opened in 1912 and is still going. Again all the kids in Melbourne have ridden on it at some time. It's an iconic place to go in Melbourne. Parking at either of these beaches is expensive so I'd take the tram. As I mentioned in previous posts, if you spend the money in buying a Myki it pays for itself the more stuff you want to see. To pay for parking at St. Kilda beach all day is damn more expensive than a daily charge on the Myki.

Basically from St. Kilda down to the southern part of the bay on the eastern side is all beaches so there are lots of beaches to choose from and all are easily accessible by train and bus using your Myki as they are within Zone1 and Zone 2 of the Melbourne suburban public transport network. These beaches do get crowded during Summer and especially during the Christmas school holidays so either get their early in the day to get a spot or later in the day when the kids have had their fill. I won't name all the beaches as they won't mean anything to tourists, but the locals have their favourites and are well patronised. One warning I will give to all tourists visiting beaches in Victoria, the water is cold because you are facing the Southern Ocean and the only thing further south apart from Tasmania is the south pole, hence why the water is colder that what you will experience in Queensland. Even on the hottest day in Summer in Melbourne the water is cold. So be warned you might freeze your bits off even in Summer.

The eastern part of the bay has the best beaches around the bay and also has more stuff to see. The western part of the bay is more industrial especially around the Altona area where the fish glow. The main oil refineries are in the west bay area near Geelong. The western part of the bay is also where the cargo ships enter Melbourne ports. If you go past the touristy part of Williamstown you can see the cargo ships entering the port from the bay. So as a tourist I would recommend you spend most of your time on the eastern side of the bay if you want to visit beaches in Melbourne. Basically every bayside suburb on the eastern side of the bay has a beach. Parking at these beaches is not free either unless you are resident of the local bayside councils. And like the inner city beaches, it can be expensive to use the beach car parks. My local council stretches to the bay so I get free parking at the local beaches in my council area.

Penguin Parade at Phillip Island - if you want to get up close with Australian wildlife I would choose the animal sanctuary option where you can hand feed Kangaroos in the afternoon and then proceed to the penguin parade at dusk. The penguins only come ashore at dusk going back to their burrows for the night. I saw one tourist Youtuber where they didn't realize the penguins only arrive at dusk and also didn't want to pay to see the penguins which I don't get. If you go all the way out there and not want to pay to see the penguin parade, then why go at all. You can't take photography any more thanks to OS tourist using flash photography and not obeying the instructions so now nobody can take photos of the penguins. If you try, they will take your camera or smart phone off you and you will get a fine plus be ejected. The penguin parade is one of those memories you need to experience and is not a insta nor kodak moment. If your only reason to go there is to boost your on-line profile to gain followers, well don't go. The penguins don't need you nor your followers. In fact just fuck off and do a make up video cause the world really needs more of that. It can get cold while watching the penguin parade because you are facing the southern ocean and you are out in the open so take something warm. Obviously you can drive there if you have a car and do the same thing. You will be driving back at night though and the wildlife comes out after dusk so you might encounter some Australian wildlife on the drive back to Melbourne which might not go well for you. Phillip Island also has a chocolate factory so if you want to spend more time there, there is more to see than just the penguin parade. You can also stay on Phillip Island and they do have camping areas as well as normal accommodation.

French Island - is the other main island just of the coastline of Victoria further north of Phillip Island, but unlike Phillip Island there isn't a land bridge that connects the mainland to the island. The only way to get there is by car ferry. It is the poorer cousin to Phillip Island due to the lack of access. It does however have a large colony of Koalas. It is such a successful colony that Koalas are regularly relocated to the main land to boost main land populations. You can camp on the island if you want to get away from things, however you can also do a day trip tour from Melbourne as well. French Island is one of those secrets most tourists won't go to, but locals know about. There are some Youtube videos on it. You don't need a 4WD to drive it but it can be a bumpy ride on those unsealed roads.

Arthur's Seat - this is a nice spot down the eastern side of the bay. To visit Arthur's Seat itself is free but to have a meal up there is expensive. It's another one of those places that is a school day trip. All the kids in Melbourne know about Arthur's Seat. You can get a great view of the bay from the top of the mountain which also has a restaurant but it is pricey. It also has a small vineyard up there. Cheapest thing there is the coffee. I would suggest getting lunch at one of the bayside places down the mountain because it's cheaper then go up for coffee and take in the bay views. If you have kids then the thing to do is get a pic with them sitting on Arthur's Seat which was deigned as a tourist attraction. If you drive further down that road you will see a car museum.

Sorrento and Point Nepean - if you are down at Arthur's Seat for a coffee stop you might as well go further down the bay to Sorrento and Point Nepean National Park. Sorrento is a beach suburb of Melbourne and yes you can get there using your Myki. It is very popular during the Summer months for snorkeling and beach stuff plus the food down there is excellent which I can personally recommend. It is about 100km from the city centre which gives you an idea how far Melbourne suburbs can stretch and you can get there still using the same Myki card you can use in the city centre. So you might not think it but you are actually still in Melbourne. You can't drive thru the Point Nepean National Park but you can get to the historical sites using the shuttle bus. The National Park was owned by the Army as it was an Army base originally and you will see the old gun emplacements set up for WWI. They never fired a shot in anger but it's main purpose was to protect the entrance to the bay. You can see the other side of the bay from the gun emplacements. It remained under Army control till the late 80's so not long ago. Until then only Defence personnel were allowed entry. That was back in the day when the military was in charge of security for military bases. Those days are long gone, unlike the US which still retains military guards at it's respective military bases and they don't give a shit who you are.

Optional extra - one other option is to drive down to Sorrento is to have lunch then take the car ferry across the bay to Queenscliff then drive back to Melbourne via Geelong. It can be expensive due to the ferry fees but if you want to try something different then the car ferry option might be for you. Personally I wouldn't do it based on cost but if you have tourist money then why not. Geelong is on the western side of the bay. Right on the bayside of Geelong there are lots of places to eat but they are pricey and during Summer is can get hard to find a parking spot. Geelong is home to an AFL team, the Traffic and Accident Commission(TAC) and it's a city on it's own due to it's population which is about 290k. A big chunk of your car registration fees goes to the TAC to fund victims of car accidents. There are some heaper places to eat than Geelong such as Corio. The Shell Club in Corio is a local haunt and the food is good and reasonably priced, but if you want a view of the bay well then you will pay extra for it so you've been warned. The drive back to Melbourne from Geelong has lots of speed cameras on that stretch of the road which are hidden under the overpasses so keep to the speed limit as they can be hard to spot and it's easy to get a speeding ticket and a demerit point.

That was just an overview of options to see that are relatively close to the Melbourne's CBD. Next part will be places to see in regional Victoria which can be done on a day trip or overnight stays. Which option you choose will depend on your time and budget, if you have tourist money then why take any of it back home.

 

[darkelf9]

Part 4 of stuff do to when visiting Melbourne. This bit is about stuff you can do outside the city limits, either day trips or overnight stays.

Mornington Peninsula - if you travelled down the eastern side of the bay to Sorrento then you have already been to the Mornington Peninsula but there is more. If you travel down to the bottom of the peninsula you will come to Cape Shank and the lighthouse at the cape which is the southern most point of the bay. You can do the drive around Mornington Peninsula but it will be a long day. There are also wineries on the peninsula. On the other side of the peninsula are a lot of small towns and seaside areas. Good for boating. That side of the peninsula faces Western Port and is also a jumping off point to catch a ferry to French Island or Phillip Island. The ferry to Phillip Island is not a car ferry but if you just want a different adventure then you can park the car and take the ferry across which only takes about 45mins to 1 hr. You can also take the train from the CBD to Stony Point station and catch the ferry across to Cowes on Phillip Island. We used to do that when I was a kid although the ferry back then was more like a tug boat with the safety system being a rope across the passenger exit. Wouldn't be allowed today. Then again when I was a kid we used to jump on moving trams using the external handles and running boards carrying a full school bag. Totally dangerous stuff but we all did it. So depending on what you want to do, there are different options to get to Phillip Island. If you do take the ferry from Stony Point you might get a glimpse of the naval base on that side of the peninsula.

Great Ocean Road - if you have a car and the time I would suggest you don't rush this driving trip. If you are not a confident driver then I would advise caution as the road is twisty and has several blind corners. In the wet it can be a tricky drive. I've driven it in all sorts of weather and seen people panic on that drive and have to pull over. You can do it in a day but it will be a long day as the round trip can take about 12hrs. There are lots of touristy stops on this road apart from the numerous beach towns which I won't name as they are well known and everyone has their favourite. If you are a surfing fan then a visit to Jan Juc beach and Bells Beach is an option. Bells Beach is a must see for surfing fans as it's one of the iconic surf beaches where they hold a leg of the World Surfing Championships. Rip Curl was founded here in Victoria in the beach coastal town of Torquay which is on the Great Ocean Road. If you are going to do drive this iconic road you might as well visit Warrnambool further down the coast and stay there overnight. Then visit the pretty town of Port Fairy which is only 30mins from Warrnambool. So my advice is if you are going to go to the trouble to drive The Great Ocean Road you might as well visit Warrnambool just down the road. Lots of open beaches there as well. The drive back to Melbourne from Warrnambool is only 3hrs if you use the inland highway. If you take the bus tour option and are not a fan of heights I would suggest you don't sit on the ocean side of the bus as the road just drops off on the ocean side and you can see straight down given you are sitting higher on a bus than in a car.

Bendigo - is a nice little town to the NW of the Melbourne CBD, although I possibly shouldn't call it a little town. It's population is around 100k and was one of the gold mining towns which also attracted the Defence Dept which became one of the major employers when the gold ran out. The Defence Dept still has a presence in the town although you wouldn't know it. The other main attraction was the Bendigo Pottery which still produces pottery although now it's more for tourists than a thriving main stay employer for the the town. If you like locally made pottery then Bendigo Pottery is worth a visit. By car it's only about 90mins from Melbourne's CBD so an easy day trip. The locals will tell you it's a city not a town because of it's population but I've been going there over a number of decades so I still call it a town.

Ballarat - is another country town about 90mins from Melbourne's CBD towards the west of the state. It is the main reason Victoria exists because of the gold found there, it allowed Melbourne to break away from the grip of Sydney and allowed Victoria to be formed as a separate state to New South Wales. Ballarat made Melbourne one of the richest cities in the world in the late 1800's. These days it's more of a tourist town. They have recreated the old mining town as a tourist attraction. It's yet another iconic experience for kids from Melbourne. If not on a school trip then on school holidays with their parents. You can also do an underground mine tour and pan for actual gold. Similar to what you can do in the Yukon for those who have been up there. You can also dress up in the old period dress and get a pic or get your name on a wanted poster. Also has old fashioned sweet shops with the old fashioned boiled lollies. There is lots to do in the old mining town which is not far from the township itself. It is an easy day trip but if you stay for the night show you will also learn about the Eureka Stockade and the birth of unions here in Victoria. A bloody part of Victoria's history. Melbourne is also the birthplace of the 8 hour day in Australia. You can thank unions for that.

Halls Gap - is another day trip option although a long day. You can do a day tour of if you don't have a car. It's an easy drive from Melbourne but it will take up the full day. It is about 250km from Melbourne's CBD. Lots of nature trails there if you like hiking or if you just want to enjoy the views you can do that too. Lots of wildlife there as well. So don't be surprised if you see some Kangaroos around the place. Again as I've said previously don't go chasing any wildlife and don't try to feed them bread, they aren't ducks. There is camping and places for campervans if you hired one of those. There are basically all different options for visiting Halls Gap.

If you want to experience some of the southern coastline on the other side of the bay but don't want to do the Great Ocean Road drive then you can do a day drive past Geelong to a couple of coastal towns. You can do the loop back to Geelong by driving south of Geelong to Barwon Heads and get views of the coastline, then drive across the bridge aptly named Bridge Road to Ocean Grove which is more of a residential town but also touristy, then drive down to Point Lonsdale and end up in Queenscliff which will give you a view of the heads that is the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. You can also get a view of Point Nepean from Queenscliff on the other side of the bay. The road ends at Queenscliff so you will need to back track on the same road which will take you directly back to Geelong then it's 1hr back to Melbourne. These coastal towns are not as touristy as towns on the Great Ocean Road drive but are more of a Summer holiday spot for people from Melbourne. Therefore they are quieter even during peak season in the Summer. Easy to get to from Melbourne and the kids in the back of the car won't annoy you as much if you took them to places on the Great Ocean Road which is a much longer drive. Most Youtubers will miss this part of the coast so the most annoying thing will be the seagulls. If the seagulls starting taking selfies of the chips they steal, then the whole fucking world has gone to hell.

Wilson Promontory - is definitely an overnight stay just because there is so much to see. It's about 225km from Melbourne but with the roads down there it will probably be more like a 4hr drive so you could do it as a day trip but again it will be a very long day but I would suggest to do an overnight stay. It is a national park and yes it does have a beach. As the southern most part of Victoria on the coast, it is also the closest part of Victoria to Tasmania. It has the famous squeaky beach where the sand squeaks. There are other beaches around Australia that also have squeaky sand. It's another Summer holiday spot for families from Melbourne. Has a nature reserve where you can hand feed parrots. There is also whale watching during the season. If do want to do the day trip then a bus tour would be the best unless you have two drivers as it will be another 12hr round trip back to Melbourne if you also want to see stuff when you are down there. Again like most holiday spots it does have camp grounds if that is your thing. Entrance to the national park is free, the other local tours obviously cost. I mean you could sit on the beach for free but then you could that at any of the beaches in Melbourne. If you are travelling all that way for the beach, it's a waste of petrol.

Echuca and wineries - for a less up market option and still have a variety of wineries the other option is to drive up to the Victorian and New South Wales border town of Echuca. It's about a 4hr drive directly north of Melbourne's CBD. The main difference being there are several boutique wineries up there as well as the large wineries. The boutique wineries don't sell their wines in Melbourne due to cost so the only way to get them is visit the winery or order on-line. Echuca is another overnight stay option. You can also hire a house boat or take a trip on a paddle steamer. It is also a warmer part of Victoria.

Part 5 will be wildlife stuff to do within the Melbourne city limits and in close proximity to the city centre.

 

[darkelf9]

Part 5 of stuff to do whilst visiting Melbourne covers nature stuff and things you can take the kids to which is still within the city limits of Melbourne suburbs even though you might think you are in the country.

There are three main wildlife zoos you can visit as part of the zoos Victoria scheme. Two of these are within the suburban zones of Melbourne and one is just outside the Melbourne public transport network. If you want to see all three you can purchase a pass which allows entry to each one or just pick one and pay for the individual venue. The pass is cheaper only if you want to visit all three. Entry to all the zoos are free for children under 16yrs old this also includes the zoo pass. Pensioners get a discount as well but it's not 50% off like it is for the public transport.

Melbourne Zoo - like all cities Melbourne has a zoo which is located in the suburb of Royal Park, even though your gps might say Parkville, so don't worry you aren't lost. The tram stop name is Royal Park. The entrance is just across the tram tracks from that tram stop. You catch the tram to the zoo from the CBD on the West Coburg tram line. Again don't let the name of the route confuse you. Coburg is a very old suburb of Melbourne so it's name won't change. If you do end up in Coburg then you can stop in at the old Pentridge Prison which is now a tourist attraction. It is the last prison in Victoria where a prisoner was hanged in 1967. It was closed down due the age and conditions of it. When on the tram to the zoo you might recognise some of that road the tram travels on as it is the same road which leads to the airport. The tram will also pass one of our hospitals called the The Royal Melbourne Hospital which is one of the major hospitals we have in the inner city area of Melbourne. You can get all the public transport info in Melbourne by searching the ptv.vic.gov.au. I won't link it cause when they update the website the old links might not work.

Werribee Plains Zoo - is the second of the three zoos on the zoo pass. It is an open plains zoo which means the animals are free to roam in an area similar to the wild. There isn't much by way of enclosures. If anyone has been to the open plains zoo in Dubbo, well it's similar to that. You get on a bus and you go to the animals freely roaming around. You can't drive it like you can in places like Canada where you get up close to buffalo. The lion enclosure has a glass barrier between you and the lions so you can get close to them. Best time to go is during feeding time. Just adjacent to the zoo is Werribee Mansion which is a nice place to stop for a coffee break or lunch. It's an old stately home obviously owned by a rich person. The mansion is worth a look and the gardens are extensive. These days the mansion is a hotel and spa but you don't need to be a hotel guest to wander around it nor the gardens which is open to the public. So they won't kick you out if aren't a guest. Werribee is an outer suburb of Melbourne, so whilst you might think you are in the country, nope you are still in Melbourne. There are several of these old mansions in Melbourne two of which are closer to the city centre namely Como House and Ripponlea House. You can get to Ripponlea House via a tram from the CBD. It also just across from St. Kilda.

Healesville Sanctuary - the third venue on the zoo pass and even if you don't buy the zoo pass, Healesville itself is a nice place to visit. It's located just NE of the Melbourne CBD. You can get a day bus tour there if you haven't hired a car. It's an easy 1hr 20 mins from the CBD. The town itself is small but the main attraction there is the abundance of nature. It gets busy during school holidays and the main holidays like Easter and Christmas. The main attraction is the wildlife sanctuary which is different in that it has a birds of prey session where birds of prey swoop over the audience. The largest bird of prey we have in Victoria is the Wedgetail Eagle. But also have falcons and hawks. If you take a drive in the country you might come across these birds of prey on the side of the road picking at roadkill. I've seen this various times. If you really have tourist money to burn you can get a one-on-one with one of these raptors but it is expensive. The sanctuary itself is a big hit with kids an yet another must do for kids in Melbourne. You can stay in Healesville if you want but not necessary since it is very close to Melbourne.

Dandenong Ranges - if you like to be surrounded by flora then the Dandenong Ranges are for you. Again you can do this on a bus tour, but if you have a car it's a better option as you can travel around at your leisure. This area is still within the suburban limits of Melbourne which again will surprise most people that a forest is within the city limits but that's how we roll in Melbourne. We love our parks. It's an easy drive from the CBD and depending on which route you take it's about 80-90mins from the CBD. You are basically driving thru a forest and going up a mountain. For those who have heard Australia is land of a big desert well that is true but also we have lots of forest and tropical rainforest as well. The Dandenong Ranges will change your mind of what you thought about Australia and also of Melbourne. And yes you can get a coffee out there as well. I mean it's Melbourne, you can get a coffee anywhere. Whilst you can get close to the Dandenong Ranges by train, I would either take the bus tour or hire a car to fully experience it. The roads up the mountain is very twisty and does have some parts of the road that switchback on itself, but it is drivable for most drivers. Just slow down.

Sherbrooke Forest - While you are up in the Dandenongs you can take a drive thru Sherbrooke Forest on the way back to the CBD and stop off at one of the local cafes for Devonshire Tea which is served with fresh cream. For those who don't know what Devonshire Tea is, well it's essentially best done at a country cafe where everything is home made. Fresh home made scones, jam and cream served with your choice of tea and yes even that scented stuff they call tea. Not real tea. You can get Devonshire Tea in the city but they will charge you more and all the stuff will be purchased not made on site. But beware when you are having Devonshire Tea the debate will arise of whether you put jam or cream on the scone first. It is a hotly contested argument when ever the scones come out. It's like the War of the Roses. My preference is jam first then cream on top, the other way makes no sense because the jam squishes the cream down. Plus you can always add more cream with the cream on top.

Emerald and Puffing Billy - Emerald Lake is nice getaway spot for the day which is in the same area as the Dandenongs and yes still within the city limits and yes again you think you are in the country. You can get there with a combination of the suburban train network and the local bus network using your Myki if you don't have a car. Emerald is also a stop on the Puffing Billy train trip. Puffing Billy is a steam train that operates in the Lilydale/Emerald area. If you only want to do the Puffing Billy train trip then you can use your Myki and catch a train to Lilydale which is the final stop on that suburban train line and takes about 1hr. Half that time if you are driving from the CBD. The steam train leaves from the other side of the platform so you can just off the suburban train and hop on the steam train. You then have two options, either do the return trip or get off at Emerald and spend some time at the lake then catch the bus to the train station then come back to the CBD. If you have young kids then Puffing Billy is an excellent choice. The kids can sit on the carriage widows and hang their legs outside. It's perfectly safe. All kids in Melbourne have been to Puffing Billy at least once. It's another one of those childhood memories here in Melbourne.

That is it for info on stuff to do for those visiting Melbourne for the first time. Obviously doesn't cover everything and yes I have missed stuff out but if you're a tourist you want to do the main things to see. So as tourist don't just stick to the inner city limits and think you have seen Melbourne because you will miss out on a lot. There are things to do in the CBD like the Rialto Towers viewing platform, cruises on the Yarra River or go to an AFL which seems to be on every Youtube video but there are missing a lot by mainly focusing on the city centre. A number of things I've mentioned you won't see on any Youtubers video. You can you hire a car and drive around the entire state of Victoria if you want, not sure why you would want to do that, but that will take some planning in which case I'm assuming you've done research on the places you are going to visit on that road trip and don't need my advice. As I mentioned before, if you really want to know about any part of Australia ask a local. Those trip advisor sites are ok, but they won't tell you about really local info which might mean you miss out on doing or seeing stuff in that area. Given all the technology people have at their fingertips these days, there shouldn't be much excuse for not gaining knowledge about a city or country before visiting.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Did my tax last week and will be getting a refund this year which makes a nice change compared to the last two years. Learned some new stuff about tax last year. Might buy a new office chair with some of the tax refund money.

Whilst doing the grocery shopping last week I found Christmas puddings in Coles already in the first week of Sept. WTF! The finals of the AFL have only just started. Santa isn't due until another 3 months. How can we be having Christmas food already? We just got out of Winter for fucks sake.

Had to get creative to do a repair in the shower. Had to make something to complete the repair. I think I'm becoming one of those old blokes who repairs stuff in a creative way not requiring a tradie or a visit to Bunnings. You know those old blokes who don't throw anything away and always seems to have a part or option to repair stuff. But anyway the solution worked. Just needed some creative thinking. Really need a new shower but that's not happening since I'm selling up.

James Earl Jones passed away this week. My first encounter with his acting was in the TV series Roots which was a big hit in it's day and showcased a lot of famous actors such as Le Var Burton who played Geodi La Forge next to Jean-Luc Picard played by Patrick Stewart. James Earl Jones has such an distinctive voice. Once you heard it you never forgot it. Then obviously his voice over on Star Wars which became iconic. The actual actor didn't have the timber in his voice to sound threatening. He sounded more like an English school teacher. The younger ones would know James Earl Jones from The Lion King. Other iconic roles such as the King of Zamunda in the movie Coming to America as Eddie Murhpy's dad.

So the gas companies are trying to justify their future price hikes by telling the govt that we will need to import gas in the next couple of years at which point I'm expecting the Fed's to tell the gas companies to go fuck themselves and to ensure gas supply. Australia is one of the largest exporters of natural gas in the world given all the gas reserves we have in the country, but the previous Liberal govts just allowed the gas companies full reign to do as they wanted which is why we pay more for our own gas than they pay OS for our gas which is again fucking nuts. Natural gas should be cheap for us because of all the current and new untapped gas fields we have. But we continue to export over 70% of our gas to OS countries like Japan, which is what is driving up gas prices here. Because of the damage done by the Lib's being in power for over a decade, trying to get these gas companies under control is a hard fight. The only option will be for the Fed's to impose restrictions on gas exports to ensure we keep most of the gas for domestic use and bring down prices. There was a time that the govt owned all natural resources. For those who say yes the govt does own them technically, well if you can't control what happens to those natural resources, you own jack shit.

So Rump continues to babble at his rallies. He called Elon Musk, Leon and he kept saying it, then he mentioned using a typewriter at another rally. The man is clearly in mental decline. Who the fuck uses a typewriter any more? You probably can't even get the typewriter ribbons. The kids in uni don't have a clue what a typewriter is or have only seen one in a museum. Then he goes on about doing the weave, whatever the fuck that is. I thought only black women used a weave. I mean he is orange and he does have a dead animal on his head, although these days he looks more like an orange that's been left out on the kitchen counter for a couple of weeks. He's bound to have mould growing on him some time soon. The new Republicans are still losing their collective shit over Biden not being in the race. Rump even thinks at times he is running against Biden as he keeps mentioning Biden in his ramblings. Then there is Just Dumb who is to doughnuts what Rump is to the bible. Who the fuck walks into a doughnut shop and not know how to pick doughnuts?What doughnut flavour is "sprinkle stuff". It's sprinkles with either strawberry icing or chocolate icing you fuckwit. Everyone knows their favourite doughnuts, just like all those "true Christians" know their favourite passage in the bible. Rump has never read a bible. Every kid who has gone to Sunday school can at least quote one story out of the bible. Like the big one about Joseph and Mary and travelling to Bethlehem and the birth of that baby...what was his name again? Rump keeps talking about Hannibal Lecter like he is real. He needs to be checked for dementia. He can't tell reality from fiction. If a man in a suit with a red tie and orange clown make up on his face walked into a store and started ranting about migrants eating your pets and he knows Hannibal Lector then goes into waving his hand around telling people he is doing a weave, the store manager would call the cops. But in America they let him run for the office of the President of the United States. Here in Australia he would of been arrested then checked into a hospital for a mental health check. Which is the difference between the American democracy and ours. Here in Australia you aren't free to buy an assault rifle and walk into a school and kill kids nor do we teach kids as young as 4yrs old when they are in day care, how to avoid a gun man.

Watched the Harris/Rump debate and Kamala really got under his skin. He lost his shit a number of times and she kept pushing his buttons. She knows he has a fragile ego and while he went off on rants, she was smiling. We all know he has a very thin skin and is easily rattled if you make fun of him and his crowd sizes. He lied continuously when his own words were repeated to him, then kept on saying he didn't say those words even though it is all on video and everywhere on social media. For once the journalists actually held him to account on his BS. He kept claiming migrants are eating dogs and cats and kept shouting when Kamala got under his skin. Several times he told her to stop speaking even though he kept interrupting her when she was speaking. Her skills as a prosecutor came to the fore and it was like Rump was on the witness stand just rambling in his own defence. Most of what he said didn't make sense and for far too long journalists both in America and here in Australia have allowed Rump to get off easy. The journalists in America just let him ramble on and his answer is the story, but when it comes to Kamala they keep trying to jump on her for not doing interviews with the press which is why the press keeps attacking her. The press in America believe she should kowtow to their needs to file a story and she isn't playing their game. The press know Rump is happy to talk and ramble on and the press likes that because it makes the headlines, whereas if Kamala talks about policy, well that is boring and doesn't sell advertising. The press in America must take part of the blame of why Rump is still a factor in American politics, they have lost their way in chasing click bait rather than being real journalists and seeking the truth and holding politicians accountable. They continue to give Rump a free ride for the purposes of gaining advertising revenue. If any other politician said and did the things Rump has done since he first ran in 2016, the American press would of savaged that politician and caused his career to end, but they continue to give him air. Journalists in America really need to rethink their vocation. The only group who are holding Rump to account are late night talk show hosts and comedians. Rump is now threatening the lives of these comedians and late night show hosts and you know some MAGA nut will try to do Rump's bidding. All those people who believe Rump will bring back the jobs of the past is also totally delusional. Those jobs of the past are not coming back. If you haven't updated your skills by now, well you are lost to modern society. I had to do the same so stay in the workforce and accept the changes happening otherwise I would not have had the career I did and be in the good financial situation I'm in. That shit didn't happen by accident and nobody gave me a free ride to achieve all the things I did when I was working. People need to stop bitching about their circumstances and move on to improve their situations, none of which is easy. Sitting on your arse hoping for the good old days to come back it not a solution to your problems.

Sprinkles vs Hundreds and Thousands - for our friends from America, lets get this clear. Sprinkles are not Hundreds and Thousands. Sprinkles are long tubular shaped candy whereas Hundreds and Thousands are round ball shaped candy. And while we are at it "Lollies" are candy and all candy are lollies. Fairy bread is an essential at any kids birthday party and when your kids are not looking you eat the rest while they are outside playing and then you blame the dog. That's how life works.

Those astronauts that are stuck on the International Space Station must be really pissed. I mean you are told you only get to stay for a week then told you get to stay till next year. Must be really tough having more time to stay up in space while America is tearing itself up over the upcoming election. The sacrifices some people have to make for their country. I don't expect the new Republicans to get that one. Their hats are too tight.

Hope the weekend is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Well I decided that KiiS is not for me anymore. Seems Kyle and Jackie O have taken over that radio station and it's even more obvious now that the radio station is run from Sydney with mainly Sydney content. Even when that prick Kyle isn't on the air, his show is being referenced all day as if they don't have any other content on KiiS. So I decided to switch over to NOVA FM which has local Melbourne content and hosts that are local and more relatable to Melbournians. KiiS has lost thousands of Melbournians who have switched to local radio stations like NOVA FM. I was a loyal 101.1 FM listener before KiiS took over that former Melbourne radio station and I stayed with KiiS, but since then they have removed more local content in favour of Sydney content and it has gone backwards. The Sydney management decided they wanted to give Kyle a wider audience so they got rid of the local hosts so that Kyle's breakfast radio show could be played in Melbourne. It also financially was cheaper to only have one breakfast show coming from Sydney. It also seems the entire KiiS radio content is being run by Kyle who is a arsehole. He is our version of James Gordon who has a long reputation of being an arsehole even before he got his gig in the US at which point he apparently become even worse and just treated everyone around him like shit. Kyle is like that with lots of arse kissers around him.

Rump is now running scared of Kamala. He has ruled out any more debates because he doesn't want another arse kicking like he just got. He is scared of her mainly because she is one woman he cannot control and a woman he cannot force to have sex with him. The other reason Rump is so angry is that he got owned by a black woman. An old racist white man getting owned by a black person. His racist dad must be turning in his grave being very disappointed in his son. His own wife doesn't have sex with him and she sleeps in a separate bedroom with a lock on it. Let's not forget Rump's family were immigrants to America they were not part of the revolutionary families. He can't debate Kamala on policy because she is smarter than him and he hates that. When Rump was a kid he used to bully other kids in his neighbourhood until he got beat up by kids who stood up to him at which point he would run away home and hide. The guy is just a coward and only plays tough when he has the upper hand which is a typical bully. Deep down bullies are all scared little kids who act tough. A true tough guy doesn't boast about it. Have to laugh at Rump's minions trying to say he won the debate and claiming Kamala had the answers to the questions like the debate was some high school test. Are these morons serious? Can't they hear themselves speak or are they deaf as well as dumb? Sure Kamala didn't totally wipe the floor with Rump but she got under his skin and laughed as he just imploded after that. All she had to do was sit back and watch the man defeat himself. As for the election poles well only old people do poles as they are the only people who answer the phone to anonymous callers. So forget the poles they haven't been right for a couple of decades. Polling people is an out of date method to gauge public opinion. A majority of people converse on-line these days. That's where the data is, not on the other end of a phone. I'm old and even I don't answer the phone to some random phone number. If people can't be bothered to leave a message, then obviously that call was not important. Everyone has a contact list of people on their phones whether it be a landline or a smart phone. If you aren't on that list, I'm not picking up. I still get lots of scam calls, I just don't answer.

We had violent protests here in Melbourne towards the end of last week by so called anti-war protesters which was rather ironic because they came to the protest to cause violence then couldn't decide if they were protesting against the weapons conference or the war in Gaza or just wanted to stop traffic. May be there were anti-traffic protesters. Then they had one guy running around smashing car windows with a hammer on the Friday. May be he didn't like cars or car windows. Who knows what that rent a crowd was actually protesting. I don't think half of them knew why they were there. It seems whenever there a pro-Palestine protests it ends in violence and they are quite happy to use violence as their leaders have proudly said on TV numerous time. Which only makes them look like nut jobs just protesting for the sake of getting on TV. The moment you bring violence into your cause, you lose. All the major causes won because of non-violent protest. It's the only way to win over people. The protesters who turned up for that weapons conference, themselves were carrying weapons to use against the cops and went on to attack people attending that conference as if that will bring the war in Gaza to an end. The weapons conference itself had fuck all to do with the war in Gaza. It is the same as the Air Show that happens every year which caters to Air Force contractors showing off their products. The weapons conference is no different. These protesters don't understand how the world of munitions works so always go off on tangents. If they really want to protest then why aren't they travelling to Israel and protest there. If the UN and the USA can't stop the war in Gaza, what fucking hope does Australia have to influence that outcome. Fuck all that's what. We are not a player in that war. The weapons we have are all designed OS not here. The last effective weapon Australia designed was a sub-machine gun back in WWII, the Owen Gun and all we did there was change the orientation of the magazine and change the firing mechanism. But once again profit outweighed common sense and the Yanks refused to use it in favour of their own design which was an inferior weapon. The two main manufacturers of weapons currently in the world are the UK and USA, not us. Go fucking protest in those places if you are so concerned about weaponry. Just beware though if we were to get rid of all our weapons, the Aussie language and way of life would disappear. There are countries to the north of us who would love to take our natural resources and then you wouldn't be able to fucking protest cause the new regime would either kill you or make you disappear. So just be careful what you wish for as you might not like the outcome and your precious freedoms would disappear.

So another attempt on Rump from another Republican. Not sure what Rump and Just Dumb are on about blaming the Dems. Both guys were Rump supporters who got pissed Rump didn't deliver the utopia he promised them when he was President. It's pissed of Republicans who are trying to kill Rump because he lied to them. Why would any Democrat try to kill Rump when he is demolishing his own campaign with the dumb shit he is saying. The bomb threats that they got in Springfield were a direct result of Rump's racist comments about migrants eating pets, yet Fox News didn't mention anything about it being Rump's fault that some of his supporters made those bomb threats. The Rump campaign has even put out AI generated pics of Rump saving kittens and geese. Seems the guy can't help himself from grabbing a pussy. Now he has a new squeeze in that nut job Laura Loomer. Not sure why but all the women who are attracted to Rump have had work done. We even have women who are clearly crazy fighting over which one of them should be close to Rump. When space lasers butch body woman calls you a racist you are even more crazy than her. I guess Melania doesn't care who he has sex with so long as it isn't her. Now tax payers are having to pay more for Rump's security because of Rump's own comments. Just goes to show the new Republicans are totally out of touch with the real world. Rump would be a nightmare to guard given his erratic behaviour. Social media played a part in the gunman knowing where Rump was going to be. It is telling that the two gunmen making an attempt on Rump's life have been amateurs which shows these attempts were done by two people who were pissed off, not by any professional attempt to get rid of Rump as was done with JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. Even the killing of Malcolm X was a professional hit by the govt of the day. Oswald didn't kill JFK, the magic bullet was not real and Jack Ruby who killed Oswald was another professional hit. These attempts on Rump's life were not professional hits, if they were Rump would be dead. He makes himself an easy target.

The wet weather is due to set in here in Melbourne later in the afternoon and stay with us till next week. The week started off with rain on Sunday and it's ending with rain this coming weekend. Only dry day was yesterday so I was out in the backyard bending the back so I'm a little sore today.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Israel bringing terror to a terrorist organization is novel. Hezbollah must be shitting themselves with two covert explosive events involving the old tech devices which Hezbollah thought were safe but the failed to realize that going analog made them more vulnerable because the old analog signals are much stronger than the newer digital signals. How the Israelis were able to intercept the supply chain of these pagers and two way radios is quite clever or Hezbollah were asleep. Iran must now be worried that their comms network could also be compromised. It sends the clear signal to Hezbollah to not get too cocky and that they are not safe in their home territory. Israeli intelligence must be rather good if they can pin point Hezbollah key players just like they have done with Hamas. The Lebanese govt could kick Hezbollah out of Lebanon because they keep saying they are not part of Hezbollah yet refuse to remove them from their country. Similar to Qatar refusing to expel Hamas leaders from their country but at the same time try to give the impression they are peace makers. Can't have it both ways. You either support terrorists or you don't. There is no in between. These two events in Lebanon shows how far Israel's reach is. If they want you they are going to get you.

Seems women in the new Republican party are trying to shame Kamala because she doesn't have any kids as if those people who are parents are some how god's chosen. Given the fact this is coming from Huckleberry Sinders who is a total clusterfuck herself. I mean the only reason she was employed by Rump was because of her dad, not her amazing knowledge of politics. When she had to face the media as Rump's spokes person she demonstrated how stupid she actually is and now she is a gov of a state in America, again trading on her dad's name. Since Huckleberry is a mum herself just goes to show you don't need brains to be a parent. Lots of serial killers were parents, so being a parent doesn't give you any moral high ground. The worst thing is when single people become parents then believe they have the authority to dictate how others should live their lives and of course just to annoy people further they write a fucking book telling everyone else the proper way to raise kids. Which is quite ironic because when they were single they were fucking anything with a pulse at a bar, and now that they have given birth somehow they are self proclaimed saints. A vast majority of Karens are parents, now there is a fun fact. Not sure how Republicans think they are going to gain the female vote by continually attacking Kamala for not having kids. It seems a very dumb strategy. Then again the new Republican party are not made up of bright people. It's the refuge of the useless and incompetent. It's a reflection of their leader.

Lots of different sports happening at the same time here in Australia. We have the AFL, NRL men's and women's comps and the cricket on at the same time. Is rather early for the cricket but it is only warm up games for the Aussies and Kiwis before heading off to the T20 World Cup which was supposed to be held in Bangladesh but because of all the turmoil in that country it's being split between India and Dubai which makes for an interesting logistic issue for the teams playing. These two locations obviously are last minute replacements. But like most sports these days the T20 tournament will be behind a pay wall so only those willing to pay will see it. At some point the ICC might stop looking to profit and think about cricket fans. Even when we have T20 and now one day cricket matches here in Australia we can't see them unless we use a pay wall. The only free to air cricket tournament we see on the TV are the test matches. The other versions are not considered part of proper cricket, it's more the circus value that the ICC wants to promote. So kids will only get to see these games if their parents pay up which means there will be lots of kids who won't see these other games of cricket.

The two AFL teams are decided for the Grand Final which is played at the MCG here in Melbourne since it is the home of the AFL. Due to COVID they played the Grand Final in Brisbane a couple of years ago and it turned into a surf carnival and was a total flop. Trust Qld to fuck up an AFL tradition. Brisbane goes in as the underdog for the Grand Final on the 28th. Sydney is favoured to win, but Brisbane has won some clutch games to get to the Grand Final. We do love an underdog. The Swans have a difficulty playing on a larger ground like the MCG, so neither team gets a ground advantage. If it rains on the day, Brisbane would get an edge. Sydney doesn't play well in the wet. I will be watching like I do every year, but it doesn't matter to me which team wins. The AFL management would love the fact two non-Victorian teams are playing in the Grand Final because it boosts the AFL in the respective states. AFL is kicking ruby's arse in Australia. AFL dominates the footy scene with a larger supporter base than any of the footy codes. 7,7million Aussies went to footy game this year, not counting the millions that watched a game on TV. Not bad for a population of 27million. Also not all parts of the country have an AFL team in the competition. NT, Tassie and the ACT don't have an AFL team. They even play AFL in the Tiwi Island at the northern most part of Australia. So the AFL can only grow.

The guy who killed those people in Daylesford has got off committing murder because he fooled the judge into taking his side because of his diabetes. So now having diabetes is like being insane. You can commit murder and not face any jail time because the diabetes made you not responsible for your actions. If this guy's judgement was so impaired why was he driving? He knew his blood sugars were low because he tested himself before he got in the car, yet still got in the car. His family didn't stop him driving. Yet he can kill an entire family and not face any consequences. He didn't just kill adults, he killed kids, but apparently that's ok because they were immigrants. If it was reverse, the white newspapers would be up in outrage. But because he is a white guy, the right wing newspapers like The Australian have remained quiet. This fuckwit gets to keep his license, he is well off and his smug face after he got away with murder said it all. He at least should be banned from driving for ten yrs and he should undergo a proper fitness test. This judgement further stigmatises people with diabetes. I have no doubt the testing for people with diabetes to retain their driving licence will get even harder. You can't use your chronic medical condition as an excuse for killing someone. The fact that he is an old white man was also in his favour. If he was any other colour Mr Potato Head would be calling for him to be deported. The next person who is charged with murder who has a chronic medical condition will use this case to mount a defence. Once again a white person gets away with murder of non-white people.

School holidays are on at the moment in Victoria. The Royal Melbourne Show starts tomorrow and goes till the end of the school holidays. We used to have a Show Day public holiday but the previous Liberal state govt got rid of it so when the current Labor govt took over they introduced and AFL public holiday for the Grand Final. So this Friday before the Grand Final on Saturday is a public holiday. We have a public holiday for a horse race why not the AFL Grand Final. The Spring Racing Carnival is also on around the country at the moment. The two big races are the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup both held here in Melbourne. The Melbourne Cup is the richest horse race in the southern hemisphere. Most people here in Melbourne take the extra day off on the Monday before the race on the Tuesday. It's always held on the first Tuesday in Nov. So it becomes a four day weekend for most people. It is only a public holiday here in Melbourne. The public holiday doesn't stretch to regional Victoria. So it's not a state wide holiday.

The weather here in Melbourne is a repeat of last week. We had the first two days as dry, now the rain is tumbling down and has been raining since late last night. Expecting more showers tomorrow. Friday might be dry but it won't last long with more of the wet stuff due over the weekend. Doing some medical stuff this week. It was rather quiet at the medical venue which I've never seen so empty. The school holidays might have something to do with the lack of people in the waiting room.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

So if anyone is visiting Melbourne during the school holidays, as it is different in the various states, one option is to visit the Tesselaar Tulip Farm which is about 1hr from the CBD in the town of Silvan. You can do a day tour there or if you hired a car you can drive it easily. For kids in Melbourne it's a must do. Whilst you can visit the farm any time of year, between Sept 13 to Oct 14th is the best time to go because the tulips are in full bloom. You can by the bulbs as well, depending on whether or not you can take them back home. Either way it's a nice day out for the kids and adults who like to wonder about the flowers. It can get muddy if it rains, well cause it's a farm, so don't wear your best shoes. If you want to make a bigger day trip you can also travel a bit further north of Silvan and go to the Lavender Farm in Warratina. They also sell their own lavender oil. So if you have a nice sunny day you can visit both floral farms in the same day. You can't miss the Lavender Farm as you can see the huge fields of lavender before you get to the farm door.

In a previous post about Melbourne I mentioned the free tram zone in the CBD. You can also get the City Circle Tram which is also free and was set up for tourists. The main issue with that tram is that is doesn't run as frequently as the other trams, so unless you really want to get on it or want to go to the Docklands area towards the bay, I would just use the trams in the Free Tram Zone as they come along every few minutes. If you want to get to the Docklands from the CBD just walk it across the bridge from Spencer St by going up the escalator from the street level. Yep we have an outdoor escalator from street level. It's just near the Airport Bus Station. I would also suggest using the Airport Bus which leaves every 20mins from Spencer St, rather than using a taxi to the airport. Getting to your hotel from the bus terminal, you just catch the trams in the free tram zone. You can get a Myki card at Melbourne airport, but not at the International Terminal. Will need to walk down to the domestic terminals, 2,3 and 4. Best to check all that out before you leave home by visiting the ptv.gov.au website. For all OS visitors any website that ends in .au means it is an Australian website. All Australian govt websites end in .au

Daylight savings is happening again on Oct 6th which just adds another time zone. There is no need for daylight savings any more here in Australia. Not all of the country participates in it so it can get confusing for OS visitors. So if you are an OS visitor planning to visit Australia on or around on Oct 6th you will need to take care to adjust your planning for daylight savings. If you are in either to Melbourne or Sydney your device should automatically add the hour. So you have lost an hour. If you travel from either Melbourne and Sydney to Brisbane you get that hour back because Queensland does not apply daylight savings time even though it is on the east coast. And the reverse is also true if you land in Brisbane first and are then going to either Melbourne or Sydney during daylight savings time you will need to add an hour to your travel times. Australia normally has three time zones, the eastern side, middle and western side of the country. Whilst Melbourne is not technically on the east coast and neither is Hobart, both Victoria and Tasmania adhere to eastern standard time of UTC +10hrs. On your device it will state the time as +10hrs Sydney, however it could just as well state +10hrs Melbourne. And then just to confuse our American friends, the International Date Line means you guys lose a day as well as the extra hour. If you arrive in Australia on the west coast i.e. in Perth and are travelling to the east coast you will lose an hour in travel time and no the planes are not flying slower due to daylight savings. The normal time difference between Perth and Melbourne is 2hrs so during daylight savings that becomes a 3hr difference. So if flying from Perth to Melbourne the direct flight normally takes about 4hrs but due to daylight savings your arrival time will be +5hrs. You would be surprised the number of people that get caught out when travelling during the start of daylight savings. That first week, people are still adjusting to the new time change. Sleeping is a big issue because you lose an hour of sleep and also the first working day after daylight savings switches over, is the highest day for car accidents. Now as to why Queensland on the east coast doesn't participate in daylight savings is quite simple, they get more day light hours than any other part of the east coast region due to the curvature of the earth and the tilt of the earth. The size of Australia is huge so the difference in daylight hours from North to South is noticeable. For all those flat earth believers, well firstly you guys are fuckwits and yes you might have a college education but if you believe the earth is flat, you wasted a shit load of money on your college education and secondly don't breed you'll only make the gene pool weaker. So anyway for anyone coming to Australia on or around Oct 6th just make sure you add 1hr to your travel plans when booking your flights before Oct 6th if arriving in either Sydney or Melbourne from OS.

Public holiday here in Melbourne today for the footy Grand Final tomorrow. The Grand Final parade was on again in the CBD. The two teams parade down Swanston Street for all their fans to come and cheer them on. The AFL cup also gets a showing during the parade. Good for the kids to have a chance to see their footy heroes up close. The Grand Final Parade is a tradition here in Melbourne which the previous Liberal govt tried to kill off like they killed off our Show Day. Whenever the Libs get into power they cut anything that is either a public holiday or means that companies have to pay holiday pay to their workers who they force to work on a public holidays.

Just spent some time in the front yard doing the mowing of the nature strip and the front lawn. Has been a rather quiet day given the school holidays are on. Lots of kids either at the Grand Final parade or at the show grounds. At least the sun was out and whilst a cool wind has been blowing all day, it wasn't chilly.

Hope the weekend is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

The men's footy is over for another year, that's AFL not that other game which claims to be footy, it's rugby nothing to do with the foot. It's throw ball. The Lions deserved their win. They dominated the game from a few minutes in and never let Sydney in for all 4 quarters. It was in many respects the Grand Final of the runners up as both teams have come second in Grand Finals in recent years. Brisbane had the harder run in the finals and probably wanted it more since they had to struggle harder to get to the Grand Final. The Swans were probably a bit cocky finishing at the top of the ladder thinking they would cruise it. The women's AFL is still going for another month. This will fill the gap till the cricket starts. There is usually a dead spot in sport between the traditional end of AFL and the start of the cricket season. This time that dead air is filled with footy till the cricket starts.

The weather here in Melbourne has been good all week. Today is the warmest of the days this week with 25C predicted. A good day to wash the clothes. A sign that Summer is on the way. There was a chance of rain on Tuesday but that didn't happen. The sun has been out all week. The weather on Saturday for the Grand Final was good for the players, not too hot but warm enough. Then Sunday it was the total opposite. It just rained all day till late in the afternoon. No rain predicted for most of the week then it will be coming down tomorrow and into the weekend and also into early next week. But it is Melbourne so anything past a couple of days as a forecast is very changeable. Also given we are in Spring, it is one of most changeable times of the year for weather. That change between Winter and Summer is always a very unpredictable time in Melbourne. It's one of these seasons where you can get 4 seasons in a day. Can get a big range of temps in one day during Spring. Like today where is was chilly first thing in the morning with fog in parts at about 7C going up to 25C.

Have taken advantage of the good weather this week and spent some time in the back garden cleaning up the area under the huge orange tree. I have two rose plants near there. The large pink roses on one of them is already in bloom which will continue for the rest of Spring. Especially if we get some more sunny and warm days. The other rose plant usually blooms a littler later. It's a nodding rose so needs more support, but the flowers on that one are large purple flowers with a strong perfumed scent. When the wind blows from that direction the scent meanders thru the backyard. Both of these rose plants are not meant to be cut as their flowers only have short stems. The rose creeper has very large thorns which latch on to your clothing if you get too close. It's not a very social plant. Basically tells you to fuck off. I've had numerous injuries dealing with it over the years. It is also blooding hard to kill. I cut it right back to ground level earlier in the year and it just kept coming back. I don't water it nor feed it and it just keeps growing back. Would make an excellent rose creeper on a garden arch and looks beautiful in full bloom. Just a mass of large pink roses. The main issue with is the large thorns so needs some careful handling but I would use it in a future garden because it is a hardy plant that doesn't need much tending, just the occasional trim.

So I've been looking at more of the Youtube Aussie stuff being posted by people who are either visitors from OS or those who have migrated here, talking about things that are different or stuff that shocked them about coming to Australia. Yes there are experiences in Australia that are different as they should be from where these OS people come from. Given you are coming from a different country of course there are going to be differences. Simple shit like we drive on the left the same as the in UK, we spell stuff like they do in the UK and the weather is different. Yep no fucking kidding. There are obviously other things you can't google, that you can only experience by being here. But again if you are going to a different country to yours why would you think the country you are travelling to is the same as your country. That's the bit I find stupid from people who come to Australia then say things are different to their home country. Fucking obvious it would be. So I'm going to do another Aussie post of stuff that in uniquely Aussie. The whinnying has prompted me to educate those coming to Australia once more.

When I went out to do the grocery shopping yesterday I also purchased the other spin off from The Walking Dead series, The Ones Who Live. The big question towards the end of the original series was is Rick Grimes coming back? Lots of fans of the series thought he would come back in the final episode, so I'm sure there was pressure to bring him back. Since I'm a fan I was waiting for this next spin off. I was only going to watch the first disc but then decided to binge watch the entire series since it's only 6 episodes. It was a good wrap up to Rick's story although I would of liked more of his story when he was away. Also found the lead up of Michonne a bit too short. But overall I was happy with the episodes. Also got a peek at the other spin off The Dead City. Wasn't sure about that one but might just purchase that one as well. Waiting for the next Daryl Dixon episodes.

So the Palestinian protesters will be out on the city streets again this weekend. It's becoming a bit of a yawn to have these protests every weekend. They are becoming just an irritant that is more annoying than something to engage with. A bit like environmental protesters chaining themselves to trees. But unlike those protesters, these Palestinian protests is for a cause the Australian govt has no influence over. So you can protest the Palestinian cause all you like here in Australia, we can't do anything about what Israel does in that part of the world. You might as well yell against a wall. As for Palestinian protests showing Hezbollah flags and mourning the death of a terrorist, well that shit will only piss off most Aussies. Doing dumb shit like that will only turn people against your cause. It was a dumb idea by the organizers of the Palestinian protest to allow those flags to appear in that protest. It only enforces the rhetoric that there is no difference between Palestinians and terrorists which of course is not true, but it's all about messaging and imagery. If you organize such protests then you are responsible for what happens and who is involved. The protests planned for Oct 7th here in Australia is a dumb idea and will only turn more people against the cause of Palestinians. Nothing good can come from it.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Aussie stuff continued.

This post is a general post of Aussie stuff. Unlike my Melbourne specific posts, the items in this post are generic to Australia.

So lets start with the difference between Biscuits, Cookies and Crackers. We distinguish between these three food items because the variation in these three food items is distinct. For example Tim Tams are not cookies, they are biscuits. I have a friend in Canada who keeps referring to them as cookies and I've given up trying to correct her when I send her some. So this next bit is mainly for our American friends although people from other countries might also find it useful to clear the confusion when coming here and asking for the wrong thing. Like the whole soda thing when a soda is a soft drink but not all soft drinks are sodas.

Biscuits - can be anything from a plain biscuit, a biscuit with filling like cream biscuits or creams as we call them up to a biscuit that is coated in chocolate. The main difference is that most biscuits are not round but there are exceptions. We use the term biscuit which we copied from the British. The famous ANZAC biscuit might look like a cookie to Americans but it is a biscuit. So if you go to a supermarket and ask for ANZAC cookies you will get corrected by a local Aussie who might look at you strange as well. The main difference between a biscuit and a cookie is that a biscuit snaps when you break it whereas a cookie is softer and pulls apart. Even if you break a Tim Tam, it will snap. The other main difference is that cookies are thicker and biscuits are flatter.

Cookies - are thicker than biscuits and bigger and round, usually the size of your palm. But as I mentioned there are exceptions like the ANZAC biscuit where are larger than normal biscuits but that comes from it's history which is unique. You can google that one. There are only a few biscuits that are round, but a vast majority of biscuits are square or oval and smaller in dimensions compared to cookies. I won't get into the different types here, but refer below on the individual items.

Crackers - are smaller than most biscuits and are not sweet like most biscuits. Crackers are savoury in that they are salty with no other flavours and are unlike the soda crackers you get in America which are mainly used in foods like Chilli or soups. We usually use crusty bread with soup not crackers. Same with stews, we use bread rather than what Americans call biscuits. If you go to an Aussie house for a wine and cheese night you will see crackers also on the table. Crackers and cheese is a staple at most parties involving food. The two main brands of crackers are Ritz and Savoy. Ritz are softer and crumble easily where as the Savoy has a snap to it. I prefer the Savoy with cheese as it doesn't fall apart like a Ritz can. You can also get Sao crackers made by Arnotts but they are larger mainly because they are used for toppings such as salami, ham, cheese and we call them biscuits not crackers. Look below for the Arnotts thing, you Americans are saying it wrong.

Types of Biscuits - I've seen numerous Youtube videos of people trying Aussie snacks as they call them. There is the usual Tim Tams and Shapes but there are lots more Aussie biscuits that don't appear on these videos. Not sure if that is by choice or what these people have access to. So lets expand the record. The largest biscuit maker we have in Australia is Arnotts, pronounced..."Are nuts" not "Are knotts" as American say. Most of the biscuits you will find on the supermarket shelves will be Arnotts biscuits unless you are shopping in Aldi then it will be some European brand nobody in Australia has heard of.

Teddy Bear Biscuits - in the shape of a teddy bear. I've seen a couple of Youtubers with tini teddies but there is the normal size version. They come in either the normal Teddy Bear biscuit or the choc coated version. Either is good, but if you like a biscuit with a chocolate coating, then the choc coated Teddies are a good choice. They are milk biscuit and very good as a dunking biscuit in coffee.

Marie Biscuits - are a plain milk biscuit which is a dunking biscuit. Another way to eat these is to get two Marie biscuits then spread butter or margarine on the flat side of each biscuit, then press the flat sides together to make a biscuit sandwich, then dunk the pressed together biscuit sandwich in coffee. It is yummy. Pure comfort food.

Shortbread - these are essentially butter biscuits which originated in Scotland. You can get them all year round, but the proper shortbread biscuits are usually available during Christmas and the best ones still come from Scotland. The ones from Scotland are buttery and salty which you can actually taste. Not something for everyday but as a Christmas treat and after all Christmas is one time of year you can indulge.

Butternut Snap - it's an oats and coconut biscuit with butter that is much better if dunked in a cup of coffee as it becomes chewy if you dunk it.

Malt-O-Milk - these ones you either like or you don't. As the name suggests they are a malt biscuit so if you are a proper coffee drinker these might be for you. If you only drink lattes, then not for you. They do have a stronger flavour which is either a turn off or you like the stronger flavour.

I did see one Aussie Youtuber show Iced Vovos but the ones they sell now are not the original. Back in my childhood the marshmallow was actual marshmallow and the jam was actual jam not the sugary stuff they use on the Iced Vovos now. There were one of my favourites, not any more.

Creams -there are various biscuits with filling in them which we refer to generally as creams. Such as orange creams, which only old people like. Creams are basically any biscuit with a filling between two individual biscuit layers such as: Lemon Crisp (Lemon cream); Monte Carlos (vanilla cream and jam); Delta Cream (choc biscuit filled with vanilla cream); Kingston (choc filling); Shortbread Cream (vanilla cream between two shortbread biscuits).

If you like just sugar with no real biscuit then Tina Wafers are for you. They come in three basic flavours of strawberry, choc and vanilla. To call them a biscuit is a bit misleading in that unlike other biscuits they don't have any ingredients in common with actual biscuits apart from the sugar.

Wagon Wheels - They are a choc coated biscuit with a jam and marsmallow filling. And like Tim Tams, it's two biscuits layers with a filling in the middle covered in chocolate. I did see these on one of the Youtuber videos but the main complaint was it didn't have enough marshmallow in it. Well it's supposed to be like that. It's a biscuit not a fucking s'more. Wagon Wheels was a huge favourite when I was a kid and yes they were bigger. If you are under 55yrs old you don't have a clue what you are talking about when it comes to the size of Wagon Wheels. WTF would you know. You weren't alive at the time. I don't see the full size ones too often on the shelves these days, mainly the mini ones. I still buy them though.

Kookaburra Biscuits - There is brand of biscuits called Kooka's which are essentially two square shortbread biscuits with a raspberry jam filling. The jam is proper jam. You can get them in the major supermarkets and they are uniquely Australian. There is also the chocolate version which has one shortbread biscuit layer and one chocolate biscuit layer with the jam filling. They are yummy and nice with a cup of coffee or tea. There is no link to the actual Kookaburra bird apart from the name.

Now if you want to try Aussie cookies then the best place to try these at a reasonable price are the two big supermarkets Coles and Woollies. Both of the two big supermarket chains have their own bakeries so you can get fresh cookies and depending on the time of year you can also get Christmas cookies baked fresh. One of the main favourite cookies is Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies. You can get these in either Coles or Woollies. Another good place to get Aussie cookies are small independent bakeries in the suburbs and in country towns. So if you are travelling outside of the cities and passing by a country town bakery, it's a good place to find home made cookies and they are fresh.

Ok that's about it for the biscuits vs cookies thing. Part 2 of this series is on other foods not biscuit related.

 

[darkelf9]

Part 2 Aussie food

Scones - this is again taken from our British heritage. Scones are similar to American biscuits but they are drier. They are made in a similar way to American biscuits in that they are baked and rise like any dough does, but because they are a dry food they need either butter or the main way we eat scones is with jam and cream and of course there is the big discussion here in Australia on whether you put the jam or cream on first. Only heathens put the cream on first. Anyway if you do try a scone here in Australia you will most probably be offered jam and cream as well. Some people just like them with butter which is also acceptable but they have to be served warm. So if you are visiting Australia and happen to buy scones, you need to cut them in half laterally like cutting a hamburger bun in half, then put them in the oven for a couple of minutes till they warm up or use the microwave for 20secs depending on your microwave. Then apply either butter or the usual jam and cream. You can also get pumpkin scones but they are only available in small numbers and mainly a Queensland thing. And the right way to pronounce Scone it's not "Skown", it's "Skon". Scone i.e "Skown" is a place in Scotland which funny enough is in the town of Perth, Scotland, not our Perth in Western Australia.

Jam vs Jelly - this one mainly catches out our American friends who it seems can't go a day without a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and bitch about it on Youtube that they can't get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich here in Australia. I mean why leave home if you're going to carry on with that shit. Get over it, you aren't home.

Jam - contains the fruit pulp and has the natural sugars from the fruit. It is also thicker than the American Jelly. American Jelly is essentially fruit juice with lots of sugar and pectin. All the fruit goodness has been taken out replaced with lots of sugar to make it taste good. Like a lot of American food. You can make a jam and peanut butter sandwich, but you will get bits of fruit in the sandwich. We eat jam and peanut butter on separate pieces of bread preferably on toast not as a sandwich.

Jelly - is what we normally serve with ice cream to kids. It is fruit based crystals added to hot water to melt the gelatine then put it in the fridge to set it. You can get jelly packets or make it from scratch by buying the gelatine separately. They tend to give jelly to patients in hospital who are recovering from an operation due to the natural sugars it contains. So if you are an American shopping for jelly in Australia you will be pointed to our jelly not yours. Why? Well you're in fucking Australia not the US. The equivalent to jelly in the US is Jello.

Vegemite - So lots of people know of our Vegemite which is a by-product of making beer. It used to be thrown away but some bright spark decided to see if you could make a spread from it and hence Vegemite was born. It is healthy for you. Now we Aussies like to prank tourists so if you do go to an Aussie home they might try to get you to taste it straight out of the jar. Never ever do this if you are from OS. Even if you are a pome. It is not Marmite. So if you are from the UK and you hate Marmite you are going to hate Vegemite. So as seen on Youtube the proper way to eat Vegemite is with white bread either as is or toasted then add butter or margarine as you normally would if making a sandwich, then spread a thin layer of Vegemite so that you can still see the butter/margarine on the bread. Don't cover the entire surface of the bread with Vegemite if you are not used to it. Another option to cut down the strong taste of the Vegemite is to put a slice of cheese on the top of the spread then another piece of bread and make into a sandwich. Vegemite and cheese sandwiches are a favourite of kids here in Australia. Now not all Aussies like Vegemite so if you don't like it, well there are Aussies who also don't like it. It is like the myth that all Aussies like to surf. Only a small percentage of the population actually surfs and most have never tried to surf. So if you can't surf and don't like Vegemite well you aren't out of place in Australia. If like me you don't eat white bread, sourdough or multi-grain is a good alternative to white bread with Vegemite. I grew up eating it so I like a thicker spread of Vegemite on my toast. My mum couldn't get me to eat vegies, but at least I ate Vegemite which has lots of Vitamin B in it.

Pies - Aussie pies are different to what they call pies in the UK. Aussie pies are not Pork Pies nor are they sweet like in the US. The closest thing we have here to an American pie is a tart. Aussie pies are basically a pastry case filled with a meat filling. Now the traditional filling is beef mince and gravy, but since my school days the Aussie pie has morphed into including chicken and vegies and all sorts of meat variations. There is no such thing as a Vegan pie, those are pasties. Refer below. A regular alternative to a beef pie is chicken and leek pies. You can get all sorts of pies in the local supermarket these days. Four 'N Twenty used to be the dominant brand of pies but other brands have come into the market some more upmarket like Herbert Adams but they come with a higher price tag. These speciality pies are about twice the price of a Four 'N Twenty standard pie. The Four 'N Twenty pie was developed here in Victoria in the town of Bendigo whereas Herbert Adams pies are from New South Wales. If you go to an AFL game you are most likely going to get a Four 'N' Twenty pie. My favourite is a pepper steak pie. You can also get curry pies but depending on who makes those there isn't much chilli in them.

Proper way to eat Aussie pies - under no circumstances when in public do you eat a meat pie with a knife and fork even if they are given are given to you at a cafe. It will firstly tell everyone around you that you are not a local. Secondly if you are with other Aussies at the table they will probably tell you off and thirdly other people will think you are posh or a snob. Only old people use a knife to cut their pie cause they can't hold the entire pie in one hand in which case nobody says anything, well cause they're not far from the grave.

Sausage Rolls - we got this one from our UK heritage once again. The best place to get a proper sausage roll is from a bakery. You can buy the ones from the supermarkets but they are usually smaller and the pastry is not as good. Sausage rolls are essentially sausage meat placed in pastry (preferably puff pastry) and rolled into a cylinder shape. You can add other fillings. In fact I decided to make some sausage rolls this weekend. I like them with some spices and chilli. Usual recipe for me is sausage meat, egg as a binding agent, soy source, onions finely diced, curry powder, coriander flakes, oregano flakes, fresh finely chopped chilli and I use puff pastry and a beaten egg brushed on the pastry before putting it in the oven. Some people use milk rather than an egg wash just to give the sausage rolls a sheen and act as a browning agent.

Pasties - another thing we took from our UK heritage. Pasties are essentially vegies in a pastry casing. My preference is a Cornish Pastie as it contains meat as well as vegies. These you can use a knife to cut them in half but mostly it's just as easy to eat with one hand straight out of the bag. As with pies and sausage rolls you can get these at just about any bakery. Can also buy these from supermarkets in the freezer section, same place you will find the pies and sausage rolls. So if you are a Vegan then pasties are for you as an alternative to pies. Nobody is going to shame you for not eating a pie, if you have a pastie.

Tomato Sauce vs Ketchup - We do have Ketchup in Australia thanks to Heinz, but again when I was a kid it was only Tomato Sauce and it is still the preference here in Australia. If you are eating out, then Tomato Sauce is mainly what you will get not Ketchup. Most cafes don't have Ketchup as it doesn't sell with Aussies. You can get Ketchup packets in some places, but again Tomato Sauce is mostly available. The main difference between Tomato Sauce and Ketchup is that Ketchup is sweeter and since Yanks like their sugar anything with lots of sugar is their preference. Tomato Sauce does have sugar in it but we prefer the natural sweetness of the tomatoes since we put it on meat dishes. If we had Ketchup with our pies it would be like adding tomato sauce to the top of the pie and a teaspoon of sugar over it. Not good. So the proper way to eat pies, sausage rolls and pasties is to add Tomato Sauce on top of it, then eat it.

End of Part 2. Part 3 will be Aussie cereals.

 

[darkelf9]

Part 3 of Aussie Foods. Aussie Cereals

Some people just prefer toast with a spread on it for breakfast such as Vegemite, Jam, Cheese or Peanut Butter but then what to put on as well. So butter or margarine?

Butter vs Margarine - Back when I was a kid we only had butter to spread on our bread or toast. The annoying part was you had to put the butter out prior to using it cause it was so fucking hard. Had to keep it out longer during the Winter. A trick we used to do was heating up the knife on the gas cooker then applying it to the solid block of butter to melt it so you could spread it. "Like a hot knife through butter" as the saying goes. Then back in the 70's they came up with margarine and it was a hit cause you could take it out of the fridge and spread it immediately. You can still get the old fashioned butter but mainly used for cooking these days, however butter sales went down because of margarine and butter was used mainly in baking. The old Meadow Lea was the big thing. Margarine out sells butter. Also because margarine is healthier. The main people that use butter these days are chefs on TV and bakers. You can get a butter spread but it mixed with vegie oil so can spread it straight out of the fridge. Western Star butter is probably the largest producer of butter in Australia. They are based here in Victoria. Which makes sense given a majority of milk produced in Australia comes from Victoria.

Aussie cereals - our breakfast cereals don't contain as much sugar as the ones in the US. We do have sugary cereals but just less sugar which again our American friends won't like. Then again their taste buds are shot so they are similar to a smoker. We get Kellogg's cereals here so the same as in the US but again ours will have less sugar. Not sure if Coco Puffs are available outside of Australia so not sure if that is uniquely ours. They are just Rice Bubbles with a chocolate coating. So you when you add milk, you also get a chocolate milk and the cereal. We also have things like Oats which is porridge another thing we got from our UK heritage. We have a couple of unique cereals:

Weet-bix - these are are a wheat based cereal which is a rectangle shaped block. There is a challenge we do which is to eat them dry. I wouldn't recommend it if you are from OS. To eat this cereal just add milk either cold or warm and add the fruit of your choice if you want. There is no hard and fast rule on how to eat this cereal. The company that makes Weet-bix is Sanitarium an Aussie health food company established here in Australia and has been going since 1898. They also make spreads like peanut butter. Since they are a health food company they are trusted to have healthier alternatives to other brands.

Nutri-grain - these are small nuggets of solid wheat based cereal covered with sugar. Like Weet-bix, Nutri-grain is healthier but again it does contain a higher sugar content like most cereals. If you find Weet-bix a bit bland then Nutri-grain is a good alternative and is sweeter.

Weeties - this similar to Weet-bix but made by a different company. They are smaller button size bits of wheat again sweeter than Weet-bix and not as dense. Weet-bix still dominates that side of the cereal market.

Sultana Bran - is a cereal mainly for adults and old people since it is high in fibre. One thing you notice as you get older is how fibre in your diet suddenly become important to every fucking doctor you speak to. There are other cereals with Bran in the title all claiming to be healthy and all contain added sugar.

Carman's - this one is unique in that it isn't the name of the cereal it is the name of the company which was purchased by an Aussie teenager for $1000. She was only 18yrs old at the time. 30yrs on their cereals are everywhere and she is still in charge and she is a multimillionaire. Her name is Carolyn Creswell and she is one smart Aussie woman and yep she is from Melbourne. Carman's is one of the truly healthy options in that it doesn't contain added sugar and is one of the few cereals recommended by dietitians. It's not a cereal for just adults. It is not a cheap cereal and doesn't come in large boxes like Kellogg's does.

I haven't gone in to all the different cereals by the major brands like Kellogg's and all the other healthy versions like from health food stores, hippie food. You can google those. The ones I've listed are the more iconic ones.

Note: formatting in Lit sucks as does the auto-save and refresh which doesn't.

End of Part 3. Part 4 will be on sweets and desserts.

 

[azz_vt]

Not sure there’s many aussies in this thread but here I am.

 

[darkelf9]

Not sure there’s many aussies in this thread but here I am.

not many posting, but seems lots of people are viewing. Just post stuff you feel relevant to you or in general. Welcome to the thread. If people don't post. It will probably die due to no activity. They can't bury you if you keep moving.

 

[HottAussieBoy]

Im 37 m Australia. Tall dark hair green eyes, athletic and hung, would love to chat? X


https://ibb.co/zxWJsKf
https://ibb.co/RbkR3HS

 

[darkelf9]

Part 4 of Aussie foods. Desserts

There are some desserts you will find in Australia that you might not have tried before. There are lots of different cakes in Australia that whilst not native they are favourites which you can get at local bakeries and cake shops and cafes. Melbourne's cake shops are excellent and have a wide selection so I won't go into those here. Anyone coming to Australia can do their own research on our cakes. I have listed some below that are more on the generic side and widely available so tourists can find them easily. This list is not meant as a catch all for Aussie cakes and desserts, so if your favourite isn't on the list then just post it on the thread, just be aware that it might not be available in other parts of Australia. It seems visitors come to Australia and see one place and just assume it's the same all over Australia, so lets not confuse them further.

Pavlova - Whilst we say this yummy dessert is ours, the Kiwis will say it is theirs. Either way Pavlova is consumed by more Aussies than anyone else and is a must have at most birthday parties, and other family gatherings. You can buy the egg white base in the major supermarkets and just decorate it with your preferred fruit toppings and usually a strawberry coolie. There is also the other meringue version but that is not the traditional version. Pavlova is also usually on the dessert menu of most types of eateries and restaurants serving typical western cuisine.

Lamingtons - are basically a sponge cake covered in chocolate sauce then rolled in coconut. There are two types, the plain version as I just described or the version with a cream and jam centre. You can get both in supermarkets but if you can't find the cream and jam version just buy a packet of Lamingtons then slice them laterally and add your own cream and jam. Either way it's still yummy. Lamingtons is again another cake you see at kids parties and most office morning teas. They are just part of the culture. If you don't like the chocolate coating then there is a strawberry version.

Coconut Macaroons - no these are not Macarons that French tiny biscuit thing that is over priced. If you love coconut then Coconut Macaroons are for you. If you are from any western country you will have your local version of these. It is a food you should be familiar with. So just because we are so far away from everyone else doesn't mean we aren't influenced by food from other countries. For example Australia does Asian food better that just about any other countries outside of Asia and our coffee culture came from Italy with Italian migrants so our coffee is very good.

Mud cake - invented in the US but we have taken this type of cake as our own and you can find it everywhere in Australia. It's a big hit with women especially. Not my preference as I don't like chocolate cake by itself. However Black Forest Cake is my favourite and yes it's from Europe. As I said if the food is good, we will take it from any country and incorporate it in our food.

Carrot Cake - this one might sound weird as in how can you put a vegie in a cake and still call it cake and also won't it taste funny? Actually nope you can hardly taste the carrot. Carrot and walnut cake is really nice with a cup of coffee or tea. You can get this Carrot Cake just about anywhere. So if you are in a cafe you can get a slice just to try it. If you like it then you can buy a loaf of it at the local supermarket. Again I would recommend the carrot and walnut version.

Vanilla Slice - not originally Australian but once again we have made this dessert our own by making it with a twist. We also give it a typically Australian nickname of Snot Box. Yep doesn't sound appetizing. We also have an annual Vanilla Slice competition for bakeries around the country. There are different versions. Two basic versions are with a dusty of icing sugar on the top or vanilla icing with a chocolate drizzle. The icing sugar version is usually crispy and the vanilla icing version has softer pastry. Either one is good and again if you are travelling thru a country town in Australia and find a local town bakery, they will have a version of a Vanilla Slice. It's called a Vanilla Slice because of the vanilla custard centre which is usually 1-2 inches thick depending on where you buy them from.

Neenish Tarts - this one is similar to a fruit mince pie you get at Christmas. Same type of shortcrust pastry. If you don't know what a fruit mince pie is, then this reference is more for our friends from the UK. The filling is mock cream and usually strawberry jam. The icing on top is divided into two halves. One half is vanilla, the other half is chocolate. But you can get them with strawberry and chocolate icing. They are available in most supermarkets and you can get larger versions in some bakeries.

Coconut Ice - this one is more on the cake side or what we call a "slice" which is usually any dessert that is high in sugar. There are all different types of slices which you can get in most cake shops, bakeries and supermarkets. The Coconut Ice is one of those kids treats you would get at parties. It is another one of those desserts that someone's mum would make. Adults like them too. They are basically just sugar and coconut in a thick block with two layers. You can get different flavours but strawberry and vanilla are the normal flavours with strawberry as the top layer and vanilla as the bottom layer. Both layers have coconut. If you are not a coconut fan then give this one a miss.

Yoyo Biscuits - invented in South Australia and you can find them in most cafes, usually sold in small packets of 3-4 near the cash register. They are usually a take away item because they are small. You wouldn't normally have them in the cafe. They are two shortbread biscuits with a filling. The fillings can vary but the standard is a vanilla cream. If you have had a Melting Moment biscuit then they are similar to those.

Hot Jam Doughnuts - sold mainly from doughnut vans in various locations such as Queen Victoria Market here in Melbourne and some railway stations. Best eaten fresh. I remember getting a bag of these at a train station when doing night school at uni. These doughnut vans near train stations usually open for the late afternoon crowd going home from work and for hungry school kids. Kind of like kebab shops.

Chocolate Crackles - This is another kids favourite at parties. It's made from a breakfast cereal called Coco Puffs, which is similar to Rice Bubbles except it has chocolate in it. You just add more melted chocolate to it then put it in cup cake papers and put them in the fridge till the chocolate had gone solid. You can get these in some bakeries. If you don't have Coco Puffs then you can make them with just normal Rice Bubbles and melted chocolate. If you don't like coconut, just leave it out. Either way it's a big hit with kids. And like Fairy Bread, it's served at most kids birthday parties.

Trifle - every kids party has trifle. There is a kids version and an adult version. The adult version contains booze, usually rum. There are different recipes which you can look up on-line so I won't go into them here. I prefer the booze version. Have a family member that makes amazing trifle. I ask her every time if she made her trifle. Main reason for me being there.

Now as I mentioned in the intro there are lots of other desserts available such as a Rum Baba, Bee Sting, etc, that are not widely available in stores for tourists to find. Personally the best Bee Sting cake I ever tried is in Hahndorf in South Australia just outside Adelaide. We can get them here in Vic, but it's just not the same. That's the last part of this series of Aussie foods. It was meant as an education and intro to Aussie foods for our OS visitors.

As a public service announcement to any tourists coming to Australia, our customs/border security is very strict on food items coming into Australia like fruit, honey, meats, and especially any visitors from China bringing food. Australia is free from most pests and plant diseases you get in other parts of the world and we aim to keep it that way. Even if you get some fruit on the flight over here, bin it before you get to customs. Other foods like biscuits and sealed packets of potato chips and sweets are ok. Best thing to do is declare all the food you have on your customs forms otherwise you may get a huge fine and even not let into the country past the airport. The only thing you might see of Australia is the inside of the International Terminal. Again, our customs is very strict on food brought into Australia so be aware. If you do have food items in your luggage, best to put them in your hand luggage(carry-on), otherwise customs will go thru your entire suitcase and pull out all your clothes. This happens regularly with tourists from China, mainly because they are notorious for trying to fool customs by not declaring food items and try to sneak in not just food but huge amounts of cash. Seems the Chinese believe they can't get their foods here. Not true. So it has nothing to do with racism as some Chinese visitors like to claim, it's because Aussie border security knows what to expect with flights from China.

 

[darkelf9]

Im 37 m Australia. Tall dark hair green eyes, athletic and hung, would love to chat? X


https://ibb.co/zxWJsKf
https://ibb.co/RbkR3HS

you might be fishing in the wrong pond. I would suggest the personals, but welcome to the thread anyway.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

So daylight savings has started again. Whenever this change occurs on the Sunday you feel like you've lost half a day rather than just 1hr. I was still up in the early hours when the change over happened so went around the house changing all the clocks before I went to bed. I used to hate this change over time, mainly because we just get used to waking up with the daylight then you are plunged back into darkness again and it would feel like you were back in Winter with the dark morning starts. And as when Summer gets to it's hottest time, you end up coming home at the hottest part of the day. Which is why I used to work back an extra hour just to avoid the excessive heat of the day. Not a problem these days, but still I dislike daylight savings.

The Iranian Ambassador here in Australia thought it would be ok to post a tweet supporting Hezbollah. Did not go down well with our govt who should of taken stronger action, like kicking out some of his staff. They probably didn't kick him out of the country because whilst we still have an embassy in Iran, the US doesn't. Either way it may have been an idea to suggest to the Iranian Ambassador he should take a holiday outside Australia, just for a month of so. If our Ambassador in Iran praised the killing of people in Gaza and Lebanon, he would of been kicked out of the country. Seems the Iranians think they can do as they like in other countries. A case of the mouse who roared. They couldn't fight a war if they wanted to and they know it. Their threats are just that threats. They don't want a war with Israel, which would mean a war with the US and hence other western countries. A war they can't win. So firing rockets into Israel is about all they can do. Iran can't fight an actual war. The Iranians only have to look at what Israel has done to Gaza. That could happen to them with just Israel let alone the US getting involved. The US doesn't even need to send troops with all their smart bomb tech. It would be like playing a video game with the lives of the people of Iran. Not good and nobody wants that to happen, least of all the head cases in the Iranian govt. Their entire power base would be gone. They aren't that dumb.

The Aussie govt have been telling Aussies in Lebanon to get out for over a month and yet a majority of Aussies in Lebanon have not left. Only a small fraction of the Aussies in Lebanon have bothered to make the effort to leave. You want to feel safe in Lebanon, don't bomb another country. Rather fucking simple. Oh and while your at it kick out the terrorists in your country. That could help not being targeted by the country you are bombing. You want to blame someone for the loss of life in Lebanon, blame Hezbollah. Much like Hamas uses the Palestinian people of Gaza and the West Bank, Hezbollah uses the people of Lebanon. Neither of these terrorist groups give a fuck of the innocent people who are killed in the respective regions they occupy. Both groups hide in civilian areas in a bid to use both Palestinians and Lebonese people as human shields and build their quarters in the basements of civilian buildings. They only care about themselves and don't give a fuck of how many civilians die. If Hamas cared about Palestinians they would have given up the hostages months ago when thousands of Palestinians were dying. It's common knowledge that men from Gaza followed the Hamas fighters and went on a spree of their own looting homes and stealing from dead people and just shooting anything. When a Hamas leader was interviewed by the BBC he said the body cam footage showing Hamas fighters executing entire families including babies and young children, was fake news and was AI generated by the US. Whilst Hamas is happy to show the horror of what has happened in Gaza to the world, the Israelis have not released all the footage captured of the horror of Oct 7th last year because it is too horrific to show on TV. When that footage eventually makes it into the open, all those protesting will have a rethink. Much like the footage from those concentration camps when presented at the Nazi war crimes trials. People in that court could not look at it. Even those on trial tried to look away and were told to watch the footage of the result of their crimes. Only one side of the current events in that part of the world is being told and it is all favouring Hamas and Hezbollah. The balanced reporting is missing. The message in all this is quite simple. You don't want your people to die, don't attack another country. What the fuck did you think was going to happen, they were going to send you flowers and an invitation to dinner for bombing their country.

Saw a video game recently that might encourage me to buy a PS5 next year. The game is from the makers of Ghost of Tsushima. Only seen the preview and it's not coming out until 2025. Thus far I haven't seen any game this year which has peaked my interest in purchasing a PS5. Still happy to play the PS4 games till something better comes along.

The storms that swept thru Melbourne over the weekend and the rain we had on Monday has given way to Winter type temps. We got back to the 14C temps. Whilst there was sun, it wasn't warm due to the cold winds. We did get a thunderstorm come thru Melbourne on the weekend but since it was during the daylight hours there wasn't any lightning visible. As per usual the northern suburbs got the worst of the high winds that preceded those storms. Last night was a bit chilly. Expecting 20C today but windy. Seen the footage today of the hurricane approaching Florida. They are also having tornadoes due to the hurricane. That's two hurricanes in two weeks for the US. At least that is one thing we don't get here, the cyclones can be bad enough.

The nuclear thing that the LNP keeps banging on about continues to be a dead issue as a vote winner. It is essentially a big con jog by the LNP to give those coal towns some hope that coal will continue. The strategy from the LNP will be oops, we have to keep going with coal while the nuclear plants are being built. Nobody really believes nuclear will happen. As shown in the US the consumers are now paying more for their electricity than they did under coal power mainly because the cost of building nuclear doubled compared to the estimated cost so to recoup those costs, the price of electricity had to go up, not down. Also nuclear was never started as part of the zero emissions thinking. When the French first used nuclear nobody was talking about zero emissions. Then there is the issue of where to store the nuclear waste. That shit has a shelf life of thousands of years. The LNP's plan is to acquire by force farmers land to store this stuff. Also do the same to build these nuclear reactors. People will be kicked of their land to build this infrastructure. People who want nuclear are desperate to hold on to their way of life. Towns have gone bust in the past and will continue to happen in the future much the same way suburbs in cities change. Working class people now can't afford to live where their parents lived. That has largely been taken over by the middle class, so working class people have been pushed to the edges of the outer suburbs. Even where I live outside of the inner city suburbs, is essentially middle class, but the people who built this suburb and lived here originally were working class. Now these same people wouldn't even be able to afford and a two bedroom unit in my suburb let alone a house. The cheapest land in Melbourne these days is close to the border of the outer suburbs and the country regions. So nothing stays the same, that is the price of progress. Getting rid of coal as a power source is the way of the future. You either embrace that change or get left behind.

So in the latest Rump scam to raise money for himself he has set up a Go Fund Me page for victims of hurricane Helene which has devastated parts of the US. Thing is this Go Fund Me page was set up by one of Rump's people and all the money being raised, which is now in the millions isn't going to victims of this hurricane, it's actually going into Rump's pocket. Once again Rump is ripping off his own supporters and they don't know he is doing it. They think they are donating to victims of a weather event. Yet another con by Rump to get money from people who can't afford it. The whole "make America great again" hat thing was stolen from Reagan. It was Reagan's catch cry that Rump has reused for his own as if he invented the saying. He is a con man thru and thru.

Hope the weekend is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

So had a typical day in Australia last week when a large spider landed on my shoulder in my first bathroom. Not sure what type of spider it was. I know it wasn't a Huntsman as it was black in colour and not a spider you might find out in the garden like a Trap Door or those ones you find under garden foliage and we don't really get Redbacks here in Melbourne or at least I've never seen one in all the time I've lived in Melbourne. Tend to get Redbacks in warmer temps like in NSW and Qld. The size of the spider was about my palm and it was heavy enough that I felt it land on my shoulder. I flicked it off then couldn't find it. Thought it had gone then a couple of days later was having a shower in the same bathroom and happen to look up when I saw it just hanging out in a corner of the ceiling having a perv. Didn't panic. Got out of the shower dried off, put my clothes back on and got the Mortein. I mean it didn't tip me for the show so it had to go. So like I said a typical day in Australia dealing with large spiders in your house.

So got a new scam recently. This was another email one. Again it made me laugh. Anyway this one was different in that apparently I had been hacked or rather my webcam had been hacked and they had compromising pics of me and had access to all my social media apps like Insta, Whatsapp, etc. Now the reason I found this hilarious is because I don't have a camera on my PC so getting any pics of me through such a device would be impossible if I don't have one, nor do I do social media. I don't have any accounts on the apps mentioned in the email. I have no interest in social media, prefer to talk on the phone. The scammers wanted the payment in bitcoin. So I had a good laugh at it all. Obviously deleted the email which was in my junk mail anyway. I remember another one threatening me with a warrant for arrest by a US court. My favourite are the phone scams telling you your PC has been compromised and that you need to give them access to it to fix the problem. This happened a couple of years ago. On one occasion I played along and in the end the scammer guy got so frustrated with me, he hung up on me. Haven't had the one about the ATO scam in recent years where they say a court order for my arrest for tax fraud will be issued if I don't reply to their phone call . Again I had to laugh cause before one of these calls I had just had my tax return done and got a refund from the ATO. So that was just too funny. I know that a few years ago scammers were sending Telstra customers bills in emails which replicated the Testra on-line bills. But as usual there was an obvious flaw in it if you looked close enough. So the scammers keep trying and we just have to be more careful as to what we reply to or click on in text messages. The easiest prey these days are test messages where people willingly reply to text messages on personal and sensitive info without calling the respective provider first. Always safest to call the provider directly to confirm what you received and not use the info provided in the text or email or phone call. People have become lazy and claim to be time poor. These people are the easy prey of scammers.

So Fatima Payman seems to keep making dumb decisions. Who is she you might ask? Well not surprising given she was a Labour MP who shot herself in the foot than resigned but is still in the Parliament getting money for doing nothing. Now she has come out with her new political party and unfortunately she decided to call it Australia's Voice which is well just dumb. She won't resign from parliament for her beliefs so the tax payer has to keep paying her for the next 3 yrs. She only got the gig because she was on the Labor Party ticket in third place and only got her seat based on preferences. She didn't win the seat based on her own votes. She will face the harsh reality of politics when her time is up. Now she as named her new party after a failed political movement and secondly she is misappropriating an indigenous movement. Anyway her party is apparently for anyone who is pissed off with stuff. I thought that is what the Greens are about. Just rage against anything. So this new "bitch about anything" party will be fighting for votes from the Greens and Independents. The two major parties have nothing to worry about from Fatima and her politics. Not sure where she is going to get the money from. It was supposed to be a party for Muslims which mainly consist of her family and friends in WA. I think she got the definition of a political party confused with just an actual party. Anyway she continues to be a rather naive young woman and is not a quick learner.

Lehrmann is now sucking of the teat of tax payers by being paid by Centrelink cause he claims he can't get a job. All of which is by his own hand by the way. I mean the guy escaped a criminal rape trial at the last minute, plus the cops didn't want to rock the boat with the Lib's at the time. Plus women are never believed by cops in a rape trial anyway unless there are multiple women all saying the same guy raped them, and even that is still a 50/50 proposition for women which stinks. Women have every right to feel safe when out in public and on the other side women should be able to have sex with whom ever they wish and not be subjected to rape in the process nor be judged. I mean it's not the guy who says she raped him. Like why was your dick hard in the first place? Lehrmann is yet to go to trial for his second rape trial which is in Toowoomba this time. This guy has form. Seems the only way he can get women to have sex with him is by raping them while they are passed out drunk. He is also an arrogant prick. He was all smiles when he started his deformation case, which was over confidence. Then again it does go to his personality. He just thinks he is fucking clever when in fact the guy is a pathetic loser who has had a reality check, now he wants to play the victim. Now he gets Centrelink payments because of his own actions which he claims makes him unemployable which isn't true. He can get a job stacking shelves. Then again if he gets convicted of rape in his next trial, he won't have to worry about getting a job for while. Even convicted rapists can get jobs when they come out of prison. Rape jail terms aren't a life long sentence, lucky if they even get 5yrs. Then they get parole after 3yrs anyway. So not much of a deterrent. Certainly not enough time to re-educate them. Perhaps the answer is to make them eunuchs when they are convicted, then hand them their balls in jar when they leave prison.

George Negus has passed away. He might not be recognized by the younger generation but he is will known by boomers and their parents. He was there at the start of 60 Minutes here in Australia. In that typical Aussie fashion he was straight forward and certainly not shy about asking difficult questions and didn't show any fear in asking them. He is of the same era of people like Ita Buttrose, John Farnham, Ray Martin, etc. Ray Martin wasn't always the funny guy you see today. He was a hard hitting journalist but of different flavour to Negus. I was still in high school when the first episodes of 60 Minutes started on air in 1976. It was interesting stuff even for a kid. Back in those days you only had one TV in the house in the lounge room so after dinner you watched what your parents watched, unlike today where families rarely sit together to watch TV during the evening.

It wouldn't be a normal week in the US if Rump doesn't say more dumb shit. Now he is openly saying he will use the military to kill anyone who is opposed to him both political and everyday citizens who don't agree with his view of the world. He comments against FEMA has MAGA nutjobs taking up arms against FEMA personal in North Carolina who are working to deal with the devastation of that hurricane with swept thru that state. WTF is the Republican party doing when they condone Republicans taking up arms against govt officials who are providing disaster relief. All this is the fault of Rump and it is a foreshadowing of what will happen on Jan 6th next year when Rump loses the upcoming election. If you vote for Rump you are voting to demolish your democracy and your are a fuckwit. Also the military will never allow itself to be used as a hit squad for the govt. Given the lack of support for Rump in the senior ranks of the US military they won't comply with his orders if he gets in as the next President.

Was a warm start to the week. Got to 26C yesterday so decided to get out in the garden before it got too warm.The predicted rain didn't arrive till the early hours of this morning and it wasn't as bad as was predicted. The thunderstorms didn't happen possibly due to the humidity which came out of nowhere. I got hot and sweaty due to the humidity. Decided to give one of the trees in the front yard a severe hair cut. Was getting too close to the front of the house so did my lumberjack impression but it was too hot to wear the flannel checked shirt but timber did fall. Managed to chop it all up and but it in the garden bin. Even did some other trimming to fill the bin up. It's green bin week this week so it will be empty again come Friday. I don't have any big garden tasks to do any more which needed multiple days of work and always was interrupted by the Winter rains. Now it's just normal garden tidy up jobs which is easier to schedule. With the warmer weather the Tea Roses in the front garden and in the driveway are blooming again. So now I have roses blooming in the front and back gardens. The larger Pink Lady roses on the creeper in the backyard is small but it is producing a lot of roses and they keep blooming. I've posted pics of those roses on here in the past.

Hope the weekend is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

So Rump is now telling people he is the father of modern IVF which is total bullshit of course. The first human pregancy using IVF was pioneered here in Australia at Monash University not in the US. I actually remember looking at the news broadcast on the TV here in Melbourne in the '70's. It was big news here in Australia at the time which is why I remember it. Therefore if Rump says he is the father of IVF that would make him an Australian citizen and therefore not eligible to run for President of the US as you need to be born in the US to become President of that country. So whilst normal people obviously know Rump is talking bullshit, the facts are IVF as we know it today was started here in Australia. There may be some MAGA nutjobs on Lit talking about this so this might educate them. Like just google it. Although one can understand why Rump would be confused about being a sperm donor vs IVF. He has been a sperm donor for decades whether the women wanted the sperm or not. They really didn't get a choice. That's what he meant when the said he invented IVF, he is getting the two things confused in his ever diminishing mental capacity.

Local council elections are on in my area. It's never well advertised who these candidates are as you rarely see them in the area. You only have the info provided to make a decision on people you don't really know. But at least voting is easy with the postal votes. Given that I'm single it doesn't matter much to me who gets voted into council positions as a vast majority of my council rates does not benefit me apart from the normal stuff like garbage, recycling, garden bins, so the bare minimum. Most of the money spent in councils is for families and married people. Even when you go to events they cater for families not single people even though there are a lot of people these days living alone in these various councils. Single people keep getting a raw deal when it comes to bang for your council buck.

Lots of rain come thru Melbourne on Friday last week. We finally got the thunderstorms they predicted earlier that week. It came thru in the early hours of the morning and basically kept coming into the Friday night. It was not the day to be out in the garden nor out and about if you didn't need to. Even when the rain came the humidity didn't really leave. I spent most of that day in bed. Was really tired and the sudden mini heatwave probably added to that. Getting our first days of real Summer humidity yesterday and today. Predicted to be close to 30C today . Not unusual for us to get temps in the high 20's during Spring. The temps in the 30's usually kick in by Nov so this prediction of 30C is a few weeks earlier than normal. But it won't last long. We will be back down to temps between 18-22C after the rain comes thru tomorrow which is normal. Usually get a cool change after the rain hits Melbourne. The surprise in the last couple of weeks has been the humidity sticking around after it rains. This doesn't happen till Jan normally.

Charlie Boy arrived in Australia for his King tour and he brought his mistress. She really has landed on her feet. An inspiration to mistresses all over the world. Charlie Boy hasn't done a national tour. He is only going to Sydney and Canberra due to his health. It seems he only came to do a meet and greet with the politicians not the people of Australia. He doesn't have the support his mum had in Australia and he seems aloof with the public in general and a spoiled privileged guy who belongs to a different world. If Charlie just wanted to visit our PM to do the rounds, then that is one thing but advertising it as a Royal Tour of Australia is false advertising. The entire visit is only 5 days since he has only visited Sydney and Canberra, most of the country doesn't really care about his visit. He might be thinking that Australia wants to be a republic anyway so why put a lot of effort in visiting the place. His visit has only got a brief mention in the news.

Halloween, not sure why we continue to insist on doing this here in Australia. It's not part of our culture and people with kids keep trying to shame others into joining in. If you want to do it in your own home, go for it and give your kids lots of sweets, but it's not an Aussie thing and your kid is not going to suffer mental trauma from not going to stranger's door asking for sweets. And if your kid is under 8yrs old, they aren't going to remember it anyway. How many adults remember even their birthday party at the age of 3 or 4yrs old. I certainly don't. Celebrating Halloween makes as much sense as celebrating the 4th of July or Columbus day, pointless. Columbus was apparently a Jew working for a Catholic court, so not sure even why he is held in high status amongst Catholics since he was Jewish. St Patrick's Day, well that is just an excuse to drink beer, like Oktoberfest so yeah ok. But St. Patrick's Day is celebrated more outside of Ireland that it is in Ireland. So yet another American driven celebration which has fuck all to do with the actual meaning of St Patrick's Day. Trust Americans to make a religious holiday into a money making event and commercializing it.

With the warm start to the week, I was out in the front garden yesterday hacking at stuff again. Decided to do some more tree trimming of the trees located in the rock garden close to the front door. They give nice shade in the Summer heat so I've kept them and just trim them back. They keep the front of the house cooler during those hot Summer days. I'm taking advantage of any dry days to be out in the garden since the weather pattern here in Melbourne has been a few dry days followed by wet weather which lasts the rest of the week. We get three garden bin collections this month so also trying to take advantage of that to tidy up the garden plus with this humidity and rain in the last few weeks, things in the garden are growing faster. Also getting my cardio in every week. Exercise bores me shitless so I'm not one to do repetitive exercise. But if I can do stuff and get to work out the muscles at the same time than I'd rather do that.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

As the Presidential race heats up the Republicans are using even more hate speech. The latest rally in Madison Square Garden (MSG) showed the true face of the new Republican party. The entire event was an example of what America can expect if Rump wins. Crowds cheering while hearing racist, fascist, misogynist and hate filled speeches. Very similar to speeches Hilter gave prior to becoming the leader of Germany. Identifying an enemy and enticing the mob to violence and acceptance of a break down of society that only allows one voice. Rump is becoming more radical and unhinged and angry at people laughing at him. One of their mouth pieces called Puerto Rico a garbage dump. Another Republican then goes on live TV on CNN and tells a Muslim journalist he hope's the journalist's beeper doesn't go off. Yet they kept this Republican on air as if that is a normal discussion. The host admonished him but then they carried on as if nothing was said.

Dana Bash who is a well known journalist and commentator on CNN showed her Republican leanings by trying to discredit Kamala yet she pushed away any discussion that Rump is not fit for office. The so called free press in the US continues to hold Kamala to higher standard of competence than they do Rump. The reason these journalists are favouring Rump is because Kamala is a woman, no other reason. If they the free press in America was balanced they would scrutinise Rump in the same way but they don't. Rump gets a free ride in the American press because they all think he is crazy therefore can say whatever he wants. When it was revealed that Rump said he wanted Generals like Hitler had and he admired Hitler, it was swatted away by the free press in America as Rump just saying random stuff. Now people are starting to call out these journalist on CNN and other journalists for having a double standard. And is it clear Kamala's gender is the main reason the journalists in the US are scrutinizing Kamala yet leaving Rump alone. So she not only has to deal with the clear racism from Republicans and social media, she also has to deal with the misogyny in US society in general. The latest piece of arse kissing to Rump is The Washington Post removing it's endorsement of Kamala at the order of Bezos their owner. The endorsement was already written and was going to be published until Bezos pulled it at the last minute which is press interference. Then their editor resigned. Bezos is yet another rich white arsehole in America who cares more about money than his own country. Rich people rely on a democracy to become rich then set about destroying it to stay rich.

It's becoming more clear that Rump is winning votes from a percentage of the male population of the US who are only voting for him because they don't believe a woman should to be President. These so called "men" feel threatened by a woman being in a higher position in society than they are. Obama called out black men who won't vote for Kamala because she is a woman and the same goes for men in the other ethnicities. The same thing happened when Hilary was running for the same job. We here in Australia also had a taste of that when Julia was PM. There were in fact women in the LNP who said she shouldn't be PM and were just mouth pieces for their male colleagues. The majority far right newspapers in Australia also savaged Julia for being a female PM. It was misogyny on a grand scale and also in cartoons in a lot of newspapers here in Australia at the time. Why? Well all the editors of these major newspapers are men. The owners of a vast majority of commercial TV stations are rich white men. A majority of cartoonists for these newspapers are men. That's the reason women in politics are treated different and more harshly than male politicians.

What is nuts is that black men, Muslim men, Latino men, etc are voting for Rump when in all his rhetoric it's people from those ethnic backgrounds he is against. Women who are voting for Rump believe men are the head of household and most married women who believe abortion is not an issue because it's a women's duty to give birth to children regardless of the circumstances. Some wacked out reasoning right there, but is it America. Millions of crazy people with very warped ideas about religion. Then again that's what you get when you put God first and anyone who questions that is your natural enemy. This is a big reason why church and state should be separated. History is littered with the death of millions of people when religion rules a country and it's still going on especially in the Middle East which is in a state of constant war which is how religious leaders stay in power. It's all about controlling the population and Rump has the Republican party in his grasp because the members of the Republican party want power above all and if that means sacrificing the US constitution and their democracy then that is what Republican members in Congress and the Senate are going to do. Fuck the country so long as they stay in power in their individual seats. These are men and women who left their morals behind years ago and Rump knows it. America is very close to violence. Republicans have already said if they don't win, violence will happen from their side. What they fail to realise is that other people in America who are in the middle and left of politics and they have more guns. If Republicans want America to descend into some type of civil war, well they will suffer the fate of the southern states in the last civil war. It's a fight they can't win by violence, they just don't know it yet.

Well the LNP have won the Qld state election which was on the cards but not the landslide they were expecting. People in Brisbane were ready for a change. Labor wins in Qld when the voters in Brisbane vote Labor, that didn't happen this time. Regional Qld is a lost cause for Labor because regional Qld is stuck in the past and believes anyone who doesn't agree with them is a communist. They want things to stay the same and believe coal will remain as the main power source. They also despise anyone from Brisbane and they call them southerners. It is the only state where there is clear hatred for anyone from the city area of their own state. The divide in Qld between the city and country is huge which the LNP exploits for winning votes. The support for an abortion ban is the latest in a long line of tactics by the LNP to win votes in Qld. So time will tell if the LNP can keep govt into the next term. The LNP usually fucks itself up when in govt at the state level which is seen more clearly in NSW where the Lib's are a basket case due to factional fighting. They totally fucked up the local council elections by not selecting their candidates in time. Brisbane is the only progressive part of Qld, the rest is stuck in the past and denies climate change is real, but then demands help from the rest of the country when those increasing severe cyclones hit northern Qld.

Just got my renewal for the house insurance which has gone up by a couple of hundred bucks. In the last three years the insured level has gone up by $100k and by $40k in this past 12 months. The increase in the premium seems is not just being driven up by natural disasters but also the cost of a rebuild. The cost of materials and labour has gone thru the roof since COVID which is why some home building companies are going broke. If you want to build your own home in these times, you have a good chance of the builder going bust and leaving you with a shell of a home with no money to complete it. Lots of horror stories of people building their own homes and then saying they will never do it again. I prefer to buy an established home then renovate as needed.

Took advantage of the sunny days this week and decided to do a lot of mowing in the front and back yards. Since I've removed the trees in the backyard, I now have to do more mowing and trimming. With the heat we have had recently the grass has grown faster than normal. I only did the mowing a couple of weeks ago in the front. The nature strip also needed a good haircut. Surprisingly there weren't many people wandering around my street on Sunday when I was doing the mowing. Usually get a lot of walkers who use my street as a circuit since it doesn't go anywhere and is part of a large square. Didn't see anyone. It always surprises me when I'm mowing the nature strip or trimming the front of the hedge that people will insist on using the footpath in front of my house where I'm working and expecting me to stop for them. Like just cross over to the other footpath dickhead. Who walks in front of a mower expecting the person doing the mowing to stop? If I'm walking down a street and someone is mowing the near the footpath that I'm about to walk down, I'll cross to the other side then cross back further down the street.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Well it didn't take long for the racism in the new LNP Qld state govt to come out. They have only been in govt for a few days and have already cancelled the Truth Telling Inquiry which was only started in July of this year. Yet another sign of indigenous people getting screwed over by white people. The Lib's don't want any truth telling of what has happened and still keeps happening to indigenous people in Australia. Labor is the only political party that wants this process to happen. The anniversary of the failed Voice to Parliament went by with a whimper. White people didn't want to acknowledge it and indigenous people still haven't got over the shock of seeing 60% of Australians saying indigenous culture doesn't matter. With this latest act by the new Qld govt, treaty is well and dead at least in Qld. Indigenous Australians are about the only native people in the world who don't have a treaty with the govt of the country. That says a lot.

A recent interaction with an American user on Lit reminded me that Lit reflects American society. It's a forum developed by Americans for Americans. People from other countries are tolerated but you have to understand how American society works to play on Lit. I've been on Lit for many years now and seen people leave the forums because of the toxic environment in pockets of Lit. Yes there are moderators and a whole bunch of rules but if they can't be enforced then the rules are just a bunch of words and the moderators seem to spend most of their time playing whack-a-mole to effectively moderate the respective threads and the respective users. Things can get out of hand really quickly, well because it's an American forum in which Americans can't tell the difference between freedom of speech and hate speech. They blend together, even on Lit. I'm not surprised there is very little representation of people from other countries on Lit. People from these other countries have to carve out their own space to connect with like minded people who are not American. Americans in general are also very thin skinned and don't get sarcasm. They have a hard time distinguishing sarcasm from someone trying to call them out. Which makes Americans very easy to fuck with. Their retorts can border on an insult very quickly and then get petulant if you respond. It's more a defence mechanism. They take offence very quickly which in general reflects American society these days. Aussies don't tolerate American rah rah bullshit which I'm sure is a culture shock for them. We frankly don't care who the fuck you think you are. Nor do we give a flying fuck about your American 1st and 2nd amendment rights as they are totally meaningless in the rest of the world. I've travelled to America 5 times and never had an issue with the locals and everyone I encountered was friendly but stand offish. They won't engage with you till you provide your CV verbally then they ask about your job to see if it's worth their time talking to you. The only chilled place I found was Hawaii with friendly locals who will talk to you. There is an aggressiveness to American social interaction you don't get in other countries and that is also reflected in the various Lit threads which puts off people from other countries in interacting in these threads. So if you are not from America I would suggest looking before you leap into posting on the threads on Lit because if your interaction is not framed to American culture it could result in a bad interaction with either you leaving Lit or being banned as it is the last post moderators look at, not who started it. I stay on Lit cause I still enjoy it, but have learned to be picky where I interact. Even though they say everyone is welcome, the caveat is that Lit is an American environment with it's own idea of what social interaction means. If Lit was an Aussie environment it would be far less toxic and far more open to people from other countries and less tolerant of fuckwits. But as I said Lit does reflect American society. People from other countries can see it, but I'm afraid Americans are not that self aware. It might encourage me to start a thread on 'dumb shit Americans say' similar to what I've seen on Youtube but for Lit members who've encountered this on Lit threads. It would also be interesting to see how long it takes for an American to take offence. I'm guessing within 1 minute of the thread going live. Then they will use that catch phrase "This is America." Like its some beacon of freedom. Yeah nah.

Looking at Youtube I came across lots of videos of Americans who left America to work in other countries and decided that they had been lied to by American society. It's their words not mine. Most have not gone back to America. There are Asian Americans who are leaving America to live in Asian countries due to the simple fact of better acceptance, they feel safer and nearly zero racism. I found this interesting given how Americans say quite loudly and proudly that the USA is the best country on earth. Seems that's not quite right. I'm aware that Americans in general are largely clueless of the rest of the world and experienced that in person. I've seen lots of videos of Americans saying dumb shit to people from other countries. Like telling people from the UK that Americans invented English and that why do they spell things differently because American English is correct. And these are people with university degrees saying this dumb shit. Americans also being surprised that why isn't Australia more like the USA because we speak Engligh and why do we drive on the wrong side of the road. Again Americans believing the USA is the centre of the fucking universe and all the other countries are weird for not doing things the way Americans do. So yes it was interesting to see why Americans are leaving America for other countries never to go back and yet others realising what they have been told their entire lives is actually not true. I suppose it reflects what has happened to American society in the last 30yrs. It has become far more toxic and less safe. Everyone is on edge believing either the govt is going to take away everything they have or someone is going to invade their home so they need to sleep with a gun in their bedside table. America is also about the only country that allows loaded guns to be kept in the house anywhere they want. That shit doesn't fly in other countries that allow firearms. You try that here in Australia and the cops will arrest you, and you're paying a fine as well as possible jail time. If your firearms and ammo are not stored properly in separate lockable containers that is against the law here in Australia. American democracy is not a model of democracy that should be replicated in any other democratic country. The cracks that have appeared in America in the past 20yrs shows why it is not a good model for any other country to follow. What Americans don't seem to grasp is that it's their attitude that makes then disliked in most countries around the world, not the fact that they are American. I won't use the word hate because I don't believe that is true, but yes there are some countries where America tried to fuck with the govts of these countries which resulted in this hatred. But hey, you try to subvert another countries govts, don't expect the people of those countries to love you and greet you with hugs and kisses when you arrive in those countries.

Just when you thought America couldn't get any crazier, Republicans are now burning voting mail boxes to stop postal ballots which typically favour Democrats. Why they need dedicated post boxes for voting doesn't make sense. We have postal voting in Australia but we just put them in the normal post boxes the other mail is posted in. This latest Republican tactic to cheat is in line with other attempts such as removing black, Asian and Latino people off the electoral roles in Republican states. Reducing the number of polling places in black neighbourhoods in an attempt to reduce how many black people can vote in Republican run counties. Apart from the burning of voting mail boxes there is now a sheriff in a Republican county that is keeping a record of which houses are putting up advertising for Harris and getting neighbours who are members of the Republican party to track the movements of Democratic voters. He is running his own Russian secret police type operation yet he is still sheriff and the Gov of that state has done nothing about it. Yet another example of American freedoms. This is the same country that allowed and encouraged members of the KKK to run police departments. So I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

The Melbourne Cup is on in Melbourne tomorrow which is also a public holiday. It is always held on the first Tuesday in Nov. See now that's a proper holiday. A day off work for a horse race. The difference with this public holiday in Victoria, is that it is not a state wide public holiday. It only applies to Melbourne not regional Victoria. So if you live just outside the boundary of the Melbourne suburbs you don't get the holiday. But people in regional Vic try to take at least half the day off. The race itself doesn't happen till later in the afternoon. It used to be earlier but they shifted the time by an hour to allow more people to see it on the TV who are not from Melbourne. Lots of work places have Melbourne Cup sweeps. And it's about the only day of the year were gambling is encouraged. Even the kids get involved with a family sweepstakes where parents give them extra pocket money if their horse wins or places.

Hope the rest of your week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Decided to replace the office chair in my study earlier this week. I had the old chair for about 7yrs so not bad value for money. The old chair was showing signs of age and was making noises. Not the noises I make when getting up from a chair. The new chair is about twice the price I paid for my previous chair but it is of better quality and has an 8 yr warranty. Also since I lost more weight in these past 7yrs, I need more padding for my arse when sitting on a chair, unlike a couch which is designed for your arse and for sitting for a long time.

The week started off sunny and warm in Melbourne this week and we had a big burst of Summer with the temp getting to 34C mid week. The rain started late afternoon yesterday with a mini cool change. Expecting some more showers today then a dry weekend. The forecast was for more rain this week but that didn't happen. Took advantage of the sunny and dry start to the week to get in the garden and hack at stuff in the front yard. Still on my quest to change the look to the front garden. No more trees to remove, just cut stuff back to open up the view from the street and give a sense of space. Was going to hack at the front hedge but saw lots of bees doing their thing so left that hedge alone and attacked the side hedging in the driveway. Going to cut down the height of that. So that's the next plan for the front garden. I only cut stuff back that I can fit in the garden bin. Might not look tidy in between cut backs, but I don't care. Whilst I was out in the front, one of the neighbours had a chat to me about the flowering plants in my front garden and how much he enjoyed walking past my front yard and seeing all the colour over these months and the last couple of years since has been living in the street. He was impressed. I had to laugh cause I didn't do anything. I just let the garden do it's thing and things continue to bloom and expand. I just let nature do what it does best and don't try to fight nature cause you can't win that battle. It also encourages insects and birds into your garden. Birds are natural pest controllers. We tend to sanitise gardens to what we want rather than what is best for nature. Humans know fuck all about what is best for nature.

Was looking at Youtube music and found a music video of Stan Walker singing 'I AM'. It is from earlier this year but I'd never seen it and don't remember hearing it before. So am coming late to this one. Decided to add this one to the fav list. A very powerful performance and gives you goose bumps when he gets to the Maori words in the song. Everyone in Aussie land knows Stan Walker from Aussie Idol. He was born here in Melbourne but he is very strong with his Maori heritage. And like other Pacific Island countries who have a strong singing culture, NZ is no different. After Idol he kinda faded from the music scene as most of these Idol contestants tend to do. So was surprised to see this video of him singing his own song and singing in his native Maori language. NZ like Australia has various native languages. Here in Australia there are about 100 native languages depending on where you are from. Unlike here in Australia the British couldn't beat the Maori people of NZ and had to make peace with them. The mighty British empire couldn't defeat them. The Maori people are a very proud and as reported fearsome indigenous people. Anyway for those who don't know who Stan Walker is, this video of 'I AM' is worth viewing.

Well just when you thought America couldn't get any crazier they have re-elected Rump for another shot at destroying their country. Americans were already a laughing stock in Europe, now they will be seen as even stupider. So what will happen when Rump takes control of the White House again. Well Ukraine will lose the war with Russia. Poo-tin will be given a blank cheque to invade as much of Ukraine as he wants. The only way to counter that is by the EU and NATO to fill the gap America will be leaving in both funding and weapons for Ukraine. All those Palestinian Americans who voted for Rump will see their family members who are not US citizens be deported back to the West Bank. The same will happen to Latino, Hispanic and Asian family members who are not American citizens. Under Rump, America will only be for Americans that includes anyone working in the US from a foreign country. America terms these visitors to America as Aliens. That is the official govt designation for you if you are not an American citizen. Aliens in any Sci-Fi movie are the bad guys and a threat, so you are considered a potential threat to America if you are not a US citizen. You need to remember that the next time you go to the US as a tourist or move there for work. A number of Aussie ex-pats have left America because of the MAGA movement and other Aussies for safety reasons have sided with that movement. The electoral college is the biggest issue in American democracy which is undemocratic. The system of one person one vote doesn't exist in America. Even if you vote for your person, the electoral college gives your vote to the person you didn't vote for in the winner takes all system. So it doesn't matter who you voted for if there were more votes for the other guy. Your vote goes to the other guy. Essentially your vote doesn't count. Americans are quick to defend their voting system by saying "yes but the losing candidate got more of the popular vote". It don't mean shit. What this latest win, Rump has proven that America is a failed society and a failed country. It's time of empire has expired. There are common sense changes that would make America a true democracy but the people inside America are too stupid to make the necessary changes. There is no other word for it. The Roman empire didn't fail due to the enemies outside of it. It failed due to the fighting for power within it which eventually allowed those outside the Roman empire to demolish it. China will now tell the world it is the only stable Republic and they should take the place of America in the world. There is a lot of bad shit than has the potential to happen with a weak America and the people in America will be responsible for all that chaos. Rump has 2 yrs till the next mid terms to prove he can do what he promised to all his dipshit supporters, when he takes power in Jan next year. If he doesn't deliver they might just turn on him. All those people who live outside the US are saying "thank fuck we don't live in America". The US should rewrite their famous quote of 'The land of the free' to 'The land of the free if you agree with me'. The US is now officially a basket case of a country. Every American who travels outside of the US will be laughed at regardless of who they voted for because when they travel OS they are representing Rump whether the think it or not. When you travel you represent your country and the govt. If your govt and country is fucked then you are a reflection of that fucked up country. Americans will need to tell people they are from Canada. The accent is similar so nobody will be able to tell the difference. I know that pisses of Canadians when they are misidentified as Americans. But hey you guys share a border with the stupid country so people just assume you are from there.

America are you stupid? There was a lot of talk in America about the economy and the lack of jobs. Both are total bullshit. The unemployment rate in the US is 4.1% and the Federal Reserve in the US is cutting interest rates. If that was Australia it would be considered very good news. All economists agree that full employment is when the unemployment rate is 5%. Therefore America has achieved full employment. Here in Australia our unemployment rate is the same as the US. However our interests rates have not gone down and remain at 4.35% which is from last year. The American economy is doing better than the Australian economy but nobody here is trying to demolish our democracy like Americans are doing to their own country. So all the talk in America that the economy is in the toilet is just political spin from Republicans. As to the cost of everything going up since 2020. Not fucking shit. Again Americans are you that stupid? The cost of everything went up as a result of the COVID pandemic and those prices have not come down anywhere in the world. The cost of construction has gone up as has grocery prices, insurance, etc. Prices always go up and never down. So if any dumb American thinks prices are going back to what they were in 2019. Not fucking happening. I would love the price of a can of coke to go back to 18 cents as it was in the late '70's but that is not going to happen either. Wake the fuck up America.

What is clear is that America is not only a racist society it is also a misogynist society as is Australian society. American society does not like the idea of a woman as President. The same is true of Australia. Whilst we did have a woman as PM of this country, she was derided by the other political parties, the newspapers and the media. So the chances of another woman as PM of Australia is not going to happen in the next 20 yrs. We can't blame that on boomers. There are multiple generations in both the US and Australia who have a big problem with a woman as the head of the country. Even with all the dumb stuff happening in the UK, they don't have an issue with a woman as PM. So we can't even blame our respective English heritage in both the US and Australia for this high level of misogyny in both countries. The EU doesn't have a problem with a woman as the head of that group. There are developing countries that don't have an issue with a woman as their leader. We continue to follow the US even though we claim not to.

Hope the weekend is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

So it hasn't taken long for the racism and misogyny to ramp up in America. Obviously someone hacked university databases since those text messages about black people reporting for slave duty was mainly sent to university students in the US and even school kids who are on social media. The Republicans aren't smart enough to pull that one off in all those American states at the same time. Now the misogyny stuff on social media, especially on X, well yes that one is Republicans. And the cops in the US say that stuff is OK. Apparently that is considered free speech in America. On the weekend in America an all black college was celebrating home coming when a shooter opened fire. You know that was a white Republican. The dipshits in America now feel free to act out because of Rump being re-elected.

Remembrance Day happened on Monday. I purchased my usual badge to contribute to the RSL last week but forgot to wear it. I usually purchase the slouch hat pin but Remembrance Day items have gotten harder to find. Purchased mine from Bunnings this year. Remembrance Day items used to be sold in supermarkets and there was usually an RSL volunteer outside most shopping areas selling these items. Don't see them any more. Not sure why.

Got out in the garden on Monday since it was another sunny day and rain was forecast for the next few days. Decided to top up the garden bin, since it's green bin week, by cutting back the creeper at the back of house. I actually don't mind it, but needed to clear it away from one of the windows. Next task is to tidy up the garage. Waiting for the paint containers to dry out, then throw all that out. Can't tip paint down the drain any more so have to dispose of it in other ways. Easiest way is just to pop the lid of the paint container and let the paint harden, then just dump the hardened mass into some junk mail and bin it. Totally legal that way. The other option is to take the paint to one of those paint disposal places but they aren't that easy to find. At least these days we don't use led paint like we used to do. Most paint also washes up in water rather than turps which was always a pain to get rid off because of the chemical residue. Easiest way to get rid of any turps is just put it in a bucket and let it evaporate.

The new chair is going well. Had to wait a week for my arse to adjust to the new higher seating position and more seat padding. Even my posture has improved. Decided to keep the cardboard box it came in to throw more junk out. The old chair is now on the junk pile ready for removal.

Been posting more on Lit, but as usual picking where I post. Wouldn't want to upset the delicate conditions of some of the locals. Then again do I really care. Nope, but it's hard to have a conversation with a wall. I mean why would you bother. As I mentioned before. Lit is a reflection of American society so they have their unique view of the world and respond with that view point. "We know boats." Will I continue to expand my horizons on Lit? Well that depends on if it becomes an exercise in futility to communicate. They seem to have thin skins in most threads and very little nuance. Hard to do that right when only using words. Not everyone has the skills to communicate effectively in written words. Lots of angry key bashing happens. The older I get, the more stupidity I seem to encounter. And in this age of anti-social media, the stupidity is just increasing. Very little willingness to see the other point of view.

Having a big rain day today so decided to stay in and just go back to bed. Why go out and get rained on when you can leave it a day and go out in the dry. Did manage to book the car in for a service though. So at least achieved one thing. That an catching up on the news only see yet another story of the church in England involved in yet another child abuse scandal. Our local Aussie news is tame compared to what is happening OS.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Lots of news about the rise of far right groups taking over western democracies. There are phd's, fucking think tanks, and any number of bloody UN focus groups as to why. Look it's quite simple. White people are in the minority around the world and they are trying to cling on to power and what they perceive as their rightful place in the world. Not any more complicated than that. Power dynamics change all the time and have done in the history of the world. Remember the Persians and Egyptians. No fucking white people in charge then. They were still scratching their arses and wondering where the sun goes as night. A change is a coming whether white people like it or not. Just look at Asia. Between India and China they account for nearly 3 billion people and are churning out several million university graduates a year. No western country can compete with that. Things are going to change, you can't stop it. Might as well try and stop the earth from rotating. A futile exercise. Now for all those people who aren't white. Just pull up a chair, grab some popcorn and watch the show. That's what China is doing.

So the crazy train hasn't even left the station in the US and the passengers are just getting more stupid. JKF Jr will be in charge of health in the US. So Polio will be making a come back. Going to the US will be like going to the jungles of the Congo. You'll need to make sure you get your shots before you go to the US. Other countries will flag the US as a health risk country. Any beached whales won't be safe. Gaetz being AG of the US. So I guess child brides are coming back. And Rump's pick for Intelligence who is a Russian sympathiser will have all other spy agencies in other countries on guard. Our head of ASIO doesn't pull his punches so I wouldn't be surprised if he raises the threat level towards the US, although won't say that in public unless it emerges as an actual threat has he has done in the past.

ICAC now says that there is no racism in the NT police force. WTF! Seems they are blind to what has been reported. Now because of their ruling, indigenous groups are taking class actions against the NT govt. It seems we have a long way to go in discussing racism in Australia.

Ok this is too funny. Thousands of Americans are googling how to leave America and how to immigrate to Canada. Now Republicans are googling what is a tariff? These numbnuts don't know what they voted for. They think China will pay the 20% tariff. These idiots don't know how their own economy works. They don't even know that undocumented immigrants in the USA pay tax. The other trending google search was 'can I change my vote'. Rump isn't in office yet and those who voted for him are starting to get buyer's regret cause they were too stupid to understand what his re-election will mean. America just keeps getting dumber.

There is plenty on Youtube on Americans fleeing America and coming here. Not doubt others will now see how they can do the same thing. So we might get an influx of Americans buying up Aussie houses and getting Aussie jobs. Will be interesting if anything is said about that on the news. Probably not given they are white people much in the same way there are no demonstrations in the streets about the number of people coming here from the UK buying up Aussie houses and taking Aussie jobs. Nobody protests about white immigrants coming to Australia only non-white immigrants. Don't remember any marches about the fact most immigration to Australia is from the UK. Not fucking one.

Spent a couple of days this week hacking at the side hedging in the driveway and cleaning up some of the stuff in the garage. Taking down that side hedging a bit at a time mainly to reduce it's height. Don't want to get ride of it entirely. The large cardboard box the new office chair came in, was handy to contain some of that clean up. I forgot how big the garage is. Makes a difference when it gets a tidy up. Just put the car in for a service. Left that too long. This time of year is always busy as people want to get their cars serviced before Christmas. Putting the car in for a service mid year is easier as it's Winter and nobody is doing road trips.

Had no idea that Bunnings had face recognition software. I was in there recently so not sure if they now have my image on file. There weren't any signs up. Not sure why you would need facial recognition software in a hardware store. Do they think they are cops? Seems very over the top as a security measure. Fair enough for that technology to be used as entry points into the country like airports and ports provided it is overseen by a govt body like Customs or the AFP, but to have facial recognition software in the hands of a private company with no oversight of law enforcement is not appropriate.

The Fox sisters got the top sports award, The Don Bradman Award which was well deserved. Very talented family which they get from their parents. Their dad is the only one in the family without an Olympic medal. There is cricket happening in Australia but you wouldn't now it. It's all behind pay walls these days except the test matches. The first of which starts this Friday so will be taking time out to watch that. Going to be a hot one in Melbourne on Friday so might need to break out the fans. Haven't used the heater for several weeks now. Might need to get ready for the warmer temps.

Went to the post office to get some Christmas stamps and other stamps to make up the difference of the new postal costs. It was a lot harder than I thought it should of been. The guy who is a part-timer had lots of trouble finding the stamps then sorting out the payment system ready for the massive payment of less than $7. More QR codes are being used and bar codes are being phased out even on bills. Even though people communicate with me now using email they all still want a physical Christmas card. An email just isn't the same apparently.

I'm having thoughts of getting out of Lit as the level of dumb I'm encountering is escalating. If I do, this thread will die. But that would suit Americans as they only want to hear their voices on Lit. Not sure my brain can process this level of stupidity. Will see if I have the enthusiasm to continue to put up with this. We seem to be creating generations of idiots even though we have all this smart technology. Or may be it's just that Americans are becoming dumber. I can't figure out which is more relevant. It does re-affirm why I'm not on social media. I used to have to put up with idiots when I was in management, now that I'm retired I have no obligation to keep engaging with fuckwits.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you.